


Choose Your Ink

by theAlmostPorcupine



Series: The BATIM Multiverse [1]
Category: Bendy and the Ink Machine
Genre: Choose Your Own Adventure, Horror, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-30
Updated: 2019-04-27
Packaged: 2019-10-06 22:30:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 323
Words: 62,206
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theAlmostPorcupine/pseuds/theAlmostPorcupine
Summary: You are trapped in the loops of Joey Drew Studios, or else you're being bunted between the Joey Drew Studios of different worlds. Choose from over ninety endings.Depending on your choices, you may......die permanently at Bendy's hand....reclaim Joey Drew's soul....take home a happy little demon....free the entire studio from its curse....or one of many more endings.Regardless the path, the questions remain: can you escape with your life? Can you escape at all?





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IMPORTANT: DO NOT READ THE CHAPTERS IN ORDER!
> 
> How it works:
> 
> 1) Choose your path by clicking the sentence ending that represents your best choice. (Or for those paths determined solely by luck, use the link to the die and click on whatever you rolled.)  
> 2) Keep making choices until you reach an ending.  
> 3) If you don't like the ending you found, try again from Chapter 1.
> 
> Have lots of fun!

You wake up where it's cold and dark. Ink clings to your whole self, but the worst parts lurk in the back of your mind - the feelings that you've done all this before.

Joey Drew Studios. Curse Joey Drew! You're not sure how long you've been trapped in this forgotten place. You're not even sure what's real or not anymore. All you know is...

[...that your name is Henry, and you were invited here by an old friend.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40832183)  
[...that you've got to start up the ink machine in the other room.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41503115)


	2. Chapter 2

You push yourself up in a pool of ink, and your head aches.

"Oh, my head," you say. "What happened?"

It's sooner than you usually ask. Normally, you're downstairs on the pentagram when you ask that, but this time, you're in the flooded cinema. Bendy is still dancing and whistling on-screen, and the burst pipe is still leaking. You must have slipped and hit your head.

You rub your head as you walk to the former break room where the pedestals and main power switch is. It heals at its normal miraculous rate and is fine by the time you turn the machine on. "I'm getting too old for this. Still, I suppose I better go get scared by Bendy."

When you reach the ink machine room, it is boarded up as always. Something is different this time though: ink is already covering the halls as it often does when Bendy is near. Frowning, you approach the room and peek through the opening in the boards.

Bendy fails to appear. You...

[...walk to the exit.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40832294)  
[...go turn off the ink machine.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41582366)  
[...climb the boards to get a better look inside.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41582408)


	3. Chapter 3

It never finished its job all those years ago, and now you’re trapped here. You’re freer than you were, but you’re still trapped.

You walk through the maze of hallways, taking your own special shortcut. Here, behind Joey’s office, are the controls you used to see the man obsess over.

He loved them more than he ever loved you.

You squint at the current status readings.

 _INK-ELECTRIC GENERATOR: RUNNING_  
_SECURITY GATES: ACTIVE_  
_SOUL-CATCHER: RUNNING_

You growl. The lever to turn that off is broken. It has been for years.

_IMPRINT MECHANISM: POWER LOW_

The upper floors must be taking more than their fair share of electricity again. You leave the sealed-up terminal when you hear giant chains creaking. It’s the ink machine! The lesser ink machine. The one that processes the ink.

Deja vu.

You rein your ink in. The veins curl around you, but the liquid still drips over your eyes, casting everything in shadow.

What you wouldn’t give to have your form perfect and whole right now. That way, you could sneak around like you used to when you were up to your old mischief.

You’ll never have that if you don’t do something. You decide to…

[...climb the ink machine’s chains to investigate directly.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41582924)  
[...sneak up on the perpetrator by climbing an elevator shaft instead.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41582636)  
[...cut the power cords between the generator and the upper floors.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41583080)


	4. Chapter 4

You grin as you think about Linda's smiling face. You're finally going home! In fact, you're turning into the entrance hall right now.

Odd. The door is still closed. When you try it, you find the door is still locked.

As you turn back, you see Bendy's ink filling the hallway. There's nowhere to go. Unless....

You bounce on the section of floor that always breaks until you fall through. On your descent, you catch a glimpse of the Ink Demon holding an old light box which someone repurposed into that Seeing Tool Allison sometimes gives you.

Without ink to cushion your fall, the moment you hit the lower floor, you pass out.

If only you'd just passed out: when you wake up, you are past the pentagram and in the halls instead. You're at the Bendy statue closest to the music department, looking at a closed gate.

Beside you, an inky portal opens, and through the wall comes a cardboard horn. It's Sammy, moving that cut-out he always does.

You....

[...try to talk to Sammy.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40832429)  
[...step aside to let Sammy through.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41612864)  
[...run to get an ax.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41612915)


	5. Chapter 5

The moment you flip the switch, there’s a new message beside it: _WHAT AM I MISSING?_

You turn around slowly.

The layout has changed. Instead of six pedestals with three on each side, there are five pedestals circling a pentagram. Above each is floating a doll: Bendy, Boris, Charley, Barley, and Edgar. In the center, impaled through the throat with her own sharpened halo, is a perfect Alice Angel with X-ed out eyes. She’s lying in a long-congealed puddle of ink. Black, burnt-out candles sit between each pedestal.

You circle around the pentagram to get to the door.

A horrible rasp behind you makes you turn.

Alice’s corpse is rising off the floor. She floats a foot above it, as though hanging from a rope. Her halo glows.

Her wingding eyes shut. They open to blank balls, fixed on you.

Ink drips from her mouth. _“_ _gO. sIn-”_

The candles light. The lights cut out.

So does Alice’s halo. She thuds to the floor.

The pentagram starts glowing.

You dash from the room.

Whatever Alice was saying, you don’t think it’s a message from whatever is on its way. You intend to obey her words, but you can’t be sure if she was saying…

[…“Go. Cinema.”](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41619527)  
[…“Go, sinner.”](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41619593)  
[…“Go. Sin no more.”](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41619644)


	6. Chapter 6

Now you see him. He’s sitting with his back to the boards, hands over his face. A raspy sob comes from his throat.

You reach down and touch his horn. It’s cool and smooth under your fingers.

He grabs your hand.

You try to yank it back, but he’s gripping it firmly in one hand. With the other, he writes on your skin: _S... T… A… Y._

“B-”

The pipes burst. First under the balcony, tilting the whole thing toward the pit below. Then above your head. You’re doused with thick, black ink.

Bendy’s hand slips from yours.

You take a breath and push under the ink barricading the doorway. You ram the boards, but they’re too solid for you.

The balcony creaks and snaps.

“Bendy!”

There’s no answer.

You…

[...head for the spot near the exit that always breaks.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41620802)  
[...keep trying to break the boards.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41620856)  
[...respawn on purpose.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41620943)


	7. Chapter 7

You grab the chains, but your bad legs slip and hit a valve as you attempt to climb. You squint. It’s hard to see with all the ink covering your eyes, but you think you see the words _PRESSURE CONTROL._

You move to another spot and grab the chains again. You can’t do it. Instead, you use your ink to teleport yourself up floor by floor, following the shaft. After ten minutes, you step into a room where sunshine leaks from the ceiling.

It’s mocking you. You could never go outside and see it, or humans might see you.

Those are real, right? They had to be. You thought you saw them when you were young.

They created you.

They abandoned you. They bound you to a throne of corpses and left you there to rot.

As you walk around the shaft’s perimeter, you see nothing. Just relatively clean boards and abandoned chairs. But you do hear something, and it’s coming closer. There’s a balcony overlooking this room, and that’s what a set of sturdy footsteps are approaching.

You use your ink to teleport up to the level.

You’re separated from the footstep’s owner by a slapped-together barricade, and you can’t tell who it is in the comparatively darker hallway. You reach out to pull the head toward the light and get a better look, but a male voice gasps and its body drops against the floor.

You saw just enough to tell it wasn’t like anything else in the studio. That was a human. Could someone have come back for you?

The pipe system bursts. Ink floods from the door and separates you from the studio’s visitor. It drains toward the ink machine’s pit, sweeping your feet from under you.

You get to your feet just as there’s a soft _snap_ , and the balcony plummets into the cascading ink. The current carries it toward the shaft, and you grab on to the chains just not to fall. They’re coated in slippery ink, and more is splashing you as it drains every second. You’re trying to hang on, but your grip might not be enough.

### Roll this die to determine how well you can wait until the pipes are out of ink:

[Open me in a new tab.](http://rolladie.net/#!numbers=1&sides=6&length=1&last_roll_only=false&totals_only=false&start=false)

[Click here if you rolled a 1 or 2.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41614556)  
[Click here if you rolled a 3 or 4.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41615138)  
[Click here if you rolled a 5 or 6.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41615414)


	8. Chapter 8

You run across the studio and rip open an elevator gate. Having grabbed the cord, you begin to climb through the tall darkness. Bits of light come through at each floor, but your eyesight is so poor you can’t see your hand in front of your face.

You reach the floor below where this elevator is jammed. Either you break through, or you climb out here.

The floor you end up on is halfway to the top, but you know of another way up, and it will be quick. However, as you limp through the halls, something catches your eye: something is glowing on a shelf, and it has a wooden handle that is sticking out. You recognize it too – or you feel you should. Does it belong to someone?

On a whim, you snatch it up. It’s a square frame with light bulbs around the sides, and through it, you can see a golden sketch you’ve never seen before: a sketch of your perfect self stooping through a doorway. Underneath are letters that can also only be seen through the device in your hand: _ALL GROWN UP._

Someone recognizes you as the Toon you’re supposed to be. Did Sammy draw this?

You…

[...continue to look for the power thief.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41707562)  
[...look for more messages.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41709428)  
[...look for the artist.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41709761)


	9. Chapter 9

You climb the stairs to the upper floors, where there are power boxes you can sabotage. Your grin twitches at one of the bulky metal boxes jutting out of the wall and you smash it. Bits of metal skid across the floor. You reach inside and pull on the wires like they were heartstrings. Twist. Pop. Snap!

You drop the worthless bits of rubber and wire on the floor.

Lastly, you yank the box itself off the wall and toss it against a nearby cabinet.

Inside, you hear a whimpering.

You lumber over and peer through a slot. It’s dark and you can’t see well, but you can just make out a white muzzle and a black snout. Boris? A live Boris.

As you look around, you spot a can of bacon soup set on a nearby shelf. You grab it and use it to knock on the door. You hold it to where Boris could see it through the slot.

The door opens. Boris reaches around and takes the can.

You grab another one.

After the third, Boris pushes the door open and steps out. He’s still covering his eyes and trembling, but he’s standing there, only an arm’s-length-and-a-half from you.

You step toward him.

He retreats into a corner, bumping against a projector and reel. Your gaze turns to the old cartoon – happier times when Boris was the one who could scare you sometimes.

Maybe you could win him over if you mimicked your behavior in your old cartoons. It’s how your body becomes more itself anyway, so maybe he’d recognize you better. What should you do?

Your grin widens. You could….

[...pull a prank.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41861645)  
[...shake his hand.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41861702)  
[...dance.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41861753)


	10. Chapter 10

Sammy steps through. "Sheep, sheep, sheep, it's time for sleep. In the morning, we’ll be free."

Your eyebrows raise at the changed words. "Excuse me. Can you help me? I want to be free."

Sammy stops and the eyes on his mask seem to stare at you. "That face. I know that face. I saw it. You were... outside. My lord showed me the wondrous outside."

You grin. "You know the way out?"

Sammy glares instead of answers. "I know who you are... Lesser Creator." His free hand clenches.

Taking a step back, you do your best to keep your voice calm. "So does Bendy. He will be the one to judge me. I just want to know if I have a chance."

Sammy strokes what is left of his chin. "Yes, yes, his window of truth. He can see for himself how black your wool is. Very well. I will see if you are worth praying for."

He crosses the hallway and sets the cut-out on the pentagram. He points to the floor. "You stay here and offer prayers to our Lord. I will prepare a test."

He turns and walks through another wall, leaving you alone with the shrine to Bendy. You take the opportunity to...

[...drink some bacon soup that's at the shrine.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40832528)  
[...go get an ax.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41612915)  
[...open the gate.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41874449)  



	11. Chapter 11

There's always been a Bendy statue among Sammy's shrine. You hide behind it as the man walks through, muttering his usual, “Sheep, sheep, sheep, it’s time for sleep….”

When you can no longer hear his voice, you peek out. There’s just an empty hallway between you and a shrine to Bendy.

[Now to get that gate open.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41874449)


	12. Chapter 12

You sprint down the hall. You run for the door. You’ve forgotten a major detail though: the ritual room is boarded up. You can’t get through.

Looking over your shoulder, you glimpse Sammy walking with the cut-out.

You’ve missed your chance to do much differently this loop – you’re reduced to running from the Searchers throughout the music department, but the moment you wake up to Sammy checking on his sacrifice, things are back to normal: Sammy has an ax of his own that he sets down when he goes to call Bendy.

You’re kicking yourself at the start of the next loop as you, once again, walk through the door of Joey Drew Studios to find whatever your old friend wanted you to see. You must be getting old, because once again, you slip in the cinema’s flooding ink and hit your head against a chair.

You black out for a moment and wake up where it’s cold and dark. Ink clings to your whole self, but the worst part lurks in the back of your mind – a feeling that you’ve done all this before.

Joey Drew Studios. Curse Joey Drew! You’re not even sure how long you’ve been trapped in this forgotten place. You’re not sure what’s real or not anymore.

[All you know is that your name is Henry, and you were invited here by an old friend.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40832183)


	13. Chapter 13

You step out of the room. Something dark flies over your shoulder and lands inside the dead Boris clone. There’s a grunt. In front of you, the corpse is pulling itself free of his restraints.

“Buddy?”

Boris stumbles off the table, turns around, and throws the table at you.

You run. The gate to the other hall is closed, so you heed Alice’s advice and go to the cinema instead.

You spin a corner. Boris crashes into a wall behind you.

Pushing yourself faster, you soon find yourself in the cinema, where you….

[...grab a chair to defend yourself with.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41879480)  
[...turn on the ink flow.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41880323)  
[...blind Boris with the projector.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41903204)


	14. Chapter 14

You dash for the exit. The gate to the main hall is closing in front of you, but you roll under it just in time.

Silence. You allow yourself a breath.

Just as quickly, you glance toward the ink machine room. Still no sign of Bendy?

You get to your feet and walk to the front door. Your brow raises when you see one of your secret messages written in black ink. Specifically, you see _NOT ALL_ over the _DREAMS COME TRUE_. Soon after, you glimpse the _NOTHING_ after Joey Drew’s name when you’re checking the coast to the exit hall.

The other messages are absent, except for a single tally mark on the wall. You stop. “Why would this be here, and not the others?”

You try to remember as you turn the doorknob. It's unlocked, but you crash into an invisible wall the moment you try to step through. “Oh, this place.”

This loop was one of your early ones – very different than the ones that came later. You remember being able to open all the exit doors, but you could never leave. This loop ended with the death of the Alice in with the relics, and there was… something else here as well. Some demon. Probably Bendy, but you never got a good look at it.

You frown at the lone tally mark. You left over a hundred of those, and the previous tallies had disappeared each time. Each time you went through the studio was similar, but nothing was quite the same from one instance to the next. It was like that _Bendy_ episode where the main characters met their doubles in another world….

“ _Bendy_ is real in another dimension, and you made a machine to pull him out of it, didn’t you, Joey?” You cross your arms. “But it sent me from world to world instead, didn’t it? I’m going to have to keep using it until it sends me back to my own world.”

If you’re dimension-hopping, is time even looping at all? Alice’s corpse seems to indicate otherwise. They probably think you’re dead back home.

You…

[…look for a way to get outside the studio so you can get some help.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41904488)  
[…raise up the ink machine, knowing you’ll have to confront whatever the pentagram summoned.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41904542)  
[…grab some paper from the art department. Maybe if you draw a telephone, you can use one of those machines downstairs to make it real.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41904611)


	15. Chapter 15

“Where are you going?”

You turn around. In Alice’s place on the pentagram is flesh and blood – a healthy, middle-aged man with surprisingly thick gray hair. You gape. “You’re me!”

Your double smirks back. “No, you're me. This is my world. My old studio. You’re from another.”

You…

[…don’t believe your double.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41906018)  
[…attack your double.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41906057)  
[…ask your double’s help to get home.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41906096)


	16. Chapter 16

You check to see if it’s already open first. It isn’t, but there’s a cardboard horn coming through the wall that’s beside you.

[You know this part.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41612864)


	17. Chapter 17

You trudge your feet through the flooding ink. There’s more of it than usual, and you don’t make it to the normal spot before it breaks. No, you tumble down further and end up next to Berturm’s and Lacie’s coffins.

It will do.

From here, you…

[...go get an ax.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41612915)  
[...open the gate at the end of the hall.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41621246)


	18. Chapter 18

You ram at the boards, holding your breath every time you have to go under the ink.

The hallway is filling fast now. If this next attempt doesn’t do it….

You slam into the doorway. The boards crack, and you’re thrown down a waterfall, into a whirlpool, and pulled out by a strong cartoon hand.

You grin up at your creation. “Bendy! You’re alright.”

But he’s hanging onto the chain with only one hand now, and he slips. You both plummet to the studio’s depths.

### Roll this die to determine how you fare:

[Open me in a new tab.](http://rolladie.net/#!numbers=1&sides=6&length=1&last_roll_only=false&totals_only=false&start=false)

[Click here if you rolled a 1 or 2.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41908796)  
[Click here if you rolled a 3 or 4.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41909006)  
[Click here if you rolled a 5 or 6.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41909066)


	19. Chapter 19

You cup your hands and call past the roaring ink. “Bendy, I always end up at one of your statues when I die. You’re the one saving me, aren’t you? I’m going to die now. I’m counting on you to get me near you so I can help.”

Even if Bendy could speak, you wouldn’t be able to hear his reply over the rapidly-increasing ink fall.

You push yourself under the surface and take a large lungful of ink. It burns.

You enter the dark tunnel, and walk through.

[When you respawn, you’re down near the music department, and Sammy Lawrence is walking through the wall with one of Bendy’s cut-outs.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41612864)


	20. Chapter 20

You slip almost immediately, free-falling before you finally hit the ink.

From that height, it’s like you rammed into a cement wall. Normally, this wouldn’t do much harm, but you’re stunned enough that you sink into the filling river and are swept downstream. You didn’t know you had lungs, but they’re burning. Your mind is fogging over. Even your thick, toxic ink is falling apart under all this pressure….

You wake up where it’s cold and dark. Ink clings to your whole self, but the worst part lurks in the back of your mind – a feeling that you’ve done all this before.

Joey Drew Studios. Curse Joey Drew! You’re not even sure how long you’ve been trapped in this forgotten place. You’re not sure what’s real or not anymore.

[All you know is that you’ve got to start up the ink machine in the other room.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41503115)


	21. Chapter 21

Your hands slide down several feet before you manage to catch yourself again. Clinging to the chains with your legs, you climb it again.

You slide back down.

Repeating these steps, you last several minutes before a giant splash dunks you into the ink.

You close your eyes and look for the nearest calm pool from which to spring.

You leap out at the bottom of the Heavenly Toys Workshop’s ink fall. Immediately, you start limping through walls, heading toward the stairs to the top floor.

By the time you get up there, there’s a hole in the floor and no human to be seen. You growl at the pit below you.

But the studio door is cracked open, and sunlight filters into the hall. Why would it be like that if the human didn’t make it outside?

Only a ruckus far below hints otherwise.

You…

[...take a look outside.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41936039)  
[...crawl through the pipes to see if you can spot the human.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41935916)  
[...look through records to see who the human is. You swear he looks familiar somehow.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41936009)


	22. Chapter 22

You curl your legs around the chain and lean in.

The distant sound of boards breaking and a human shout startles you, but you regain your grip.

You clutch the chains tightly until the flow slows.

The ink’s only dripping into the pit now. You swing yourself to the floor and land safely. You hurry to find the stairs, but you hear a human shout directly below, you open a portal through the floor.

Landing in a deep pool of ink, you see him struggling an arm’s length from you.

You grab him and pull him to your chest.

He calms in a moment and returns your hug. “You saved my life!”

With his head so close to yours, you can see that he’s paler than you remember humans being. You think….

[…nothing of it. You must not remember after so long.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42339569)  
[…he’s got ink poisoning.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41978558)  
[…it’s supernatural in origin. You’re several floors down from where he started, and how else could a human survive such a fall?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41978777)


	23. Chapter 23

The pipes throughout the studio are starting to whine. They’re under too much pressure, as though someone pulled the ink flow lever on the top floor.

You bet someone did. You limp to the ink machine’s shaft, set the Seeing Tool near some soup cans on a nearby shelf, and reach for the chains.

[It’s difficult to get into the shaft from this location, but you manage. Mostly.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41582924)


	24. Chapter 24

You’ll deal with the ink machine issue later, but you can’t let this opportunity slip away from you. If someone recognizes you for yourself, could they help you? You’ve made progress toward your true form over the years, but you’ve seen plenty of Boris clones – and _they_ came out very nearly on-model. Why couldn’t you?

Wandering through the halls, you see lots of messages everywhere. Some are humorous – the artist drew the same glasses and mustache on a postered Edgar that you once did. Some are pensive – by an HR report about the number of employees that had quit, there’s a message _EMPLOYERS GENERALLY GET THE EMPLOYEES THEY DESERVE._ And some are bitter – _WITH FRIENDS LIKE JOEY, WHO NEEDS ENEMIES?_

Whoever is leaving these must have been friends with Joey Drew at some point. Human? You haven’t seen any around the studio since it shut down, but that seems right somehow. Like you’re forgetting something.

You limp into a room with a long table and a projector. Lying on a shelf is a reel you haven’t paid much attention to before, mostly because it’s not one of your episodes: _INTERVIEW WITH BENDY CREATORS JOEY DREW AND HENRY STEIN_.

Making a sound halfway between a growl and a whine, you touch your fingers to Henry Stein’s name. He left years before Joey gave you this cursed, incomplete body with his ink machine. You never met him, but you feel like you have. You should have. He couldn’t be the one leaving the messages could he?

You take the reel to the projector and start it playing. On screen is a shapely young reporter with her dark hair pulled into a bun, Joey in his wheelchair, one of your cut-outs – crisp and new, and a familiar face you never should have seen before – one with light hair and bright eyes.

As the reporter starts asking Joey about your movie, _Bendy and Boris Go to Hell in a Hand Basket_ , you hear footsteps coming from the hall. You turn your head in time to see Sammy Lawrence with his ridiculous overall-mask combination stop in the doorway. “My lord, it’s beautiful! So that’s the outside. I swear, I will serve you until I am worthy of you freeing me into that… Elysium.”

What’s his problem?

You turn your head back to the interview.

“….dreams,” says Joey, “and some day, they will come true.”

The reporter smiles. “Thank you. Now Mr. Stein, what can you tell us about animating this latest picture?”

You step forward, almost casting your shadow over Henry’s face.

His voice is deep and calm. Strong. Soothing. “Joey and I have been best friends since grade school, but when he first asked me to start a studio with him, I was reluctant. I’d recently proposed to my angel, Linda, and I wanted to spend as much time with her as possible. Running an animation studio takes a lot of time, you know?”

Joey rolls his eyes and mumbles something about Henry getting too involved with you.

Henry continues as though he didn’t hear Joey. “But when I came up with the design for Bendy, I had something that could make folks smile. Something that can make Linda smile. _Hell in a Hand Basket_ is unusual family entertainment, even by our standards, but I anticipate it being something that can improve family bonds with tears and laughter. It differentiates between a young, fun-loving ‘demon’ like Bendy and the villains that lure human souls to their demise. I look forward to taking my Linda and our young child to see it together.”

The interview continues with Joey – the main creator – being asked about the release date, but that information is long since irrelevant. You pick up the Seeing Tool and scout the room with it.

Sammy steps between you and the wall. “My lord, I’ve never seen such a tool before.” He gasps. “I’ve never seen something that reveals such messages. A window of truth, is that what it is?”

What message? You turn to look at whatever the nutcase glimpsed through the Seeing Tool, but he hurries into the room and blocks your view again. He gets in your face and asks, “Bendy, is it my time? Do you have your unholy equipment here today to pass judgment on whether I’m worthy for release into that masterpiece you showed me?”

You growl.

Sammy apologizes, moves, and in doing so reveals the message…

… _[YOU MUST LIVE WORTHY OF THE CHANCES YOU'RE GIVEN.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42221624)_  
… _[MY DREAM? MY FAMILY.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42221690)_  
… _[I'D STILL GIVE YOU ANOTHER CHANCE.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42221741)_


	25. Chapter 25

Who are you kidding? You have no idea who the artist is. It’s not like the drawing is made of fresh ink.

You could ask around, if only you could speak, but you can’t.

Placing your hand next to the drawing, you admire the perfect proportions, the evenness of your eyes, the sincerity of your grin. Whoever did this loves you, and you decide on the spot to trust them. Maybe you’ll give them a radio. It’s not much, but it’s the most beautiful thing you have to share with them. You grab one and put it in your hammer-space.

From here, you…

[…keep looking for the power thief but hope to find the artist instead.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41707562)  
[…look for more messages.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41709428)


	26. Chapter 26

You take an empty soup can, fill it with ink, and replace the lid as best you can. This you offer to Boris.

He opens it, takes a swig, spits out the ink, and runs. The can clatters to the floor.

[Click here if you've been using the Seeing Tool.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42662261)   
[Click here if you haven't found the Seeing Tool.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42662315)


	27. Chapter 27

He’s covering his eyes with his gloves, so you can’t exactly offer him your hand yet – you’ve got to calm him down first. But how to do that?

You look around and see that the projector is playing a clip from “Nightmare Fair,” and your 2D self is practicing for the opening day by balancing on a ball and juggling pins.

You don’t have the ball or the pins, but you do have a rickety old chair and some empty soup cans. As you climb on the chair, it wobbles.

Boris is peeking at you, wide-eyed.

You send a grin his way and start juggling. One pass. Two passes. Three.

Although you can become more on-model by imitating your reels, it has a better chance of working if you 1) are in the ink machine’s imprinting chambers – too late for that – and 2) can mimic yourself exactly. In the reel, your younger self falls off the ball and all the pins land with you. In the studio, you toss a can too high and it drops to the ground before you can fall of the chair.

But you were juggling – you were! – for the first time in this strange 3D world. You step off the chair and over to the nearest cut-out. You’re the same height as before, but are your hands any closer? Are your gloves any cleaner?

You compare yourself to the cut-out, but the difference between it and you is as clear as its contrast between black and yellow.

A hand brushes your back.

You turn. Boris stumbles away, whimpering.

You hold as still as you can until he calms enough to peek at you. You offer him your hand, and he shakes it.

When the handshake ends, he points to a chair, holds up one gloved finger, and walks off.

You sit. “Nightmare Fair” is ending when he returns with an armful of reels and a human man in tow.

A human. Heh. It must have been a decade since you saw one of those.

The human gawks at you. “Bendy? Is that really you? You and Boris are both- I never dreamed this could happen.”

You get up and wrap your arms around the human. Finally, someone who’s not scared of you!

Smiling, he hugs you back. “You know who I am, don’t you?”

You shake your head.

He blinks. “No? I thought- Do I seem familiar to you at all?”

[Click here if you've seen the interview with your creators.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42662078)  
[Click here if you have not seen it.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42662189)


	28. Chapter 28

You’ve missed your opening anyway: the screen switches to some title card or other. Instead of dancing for Boris, you…

[…shake his hand.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41861702)  
[…pull a prank.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41861645)


	29. Chapter 29

You pull the radio from your hammer space and turn it on. A bouncy melody pours from the speakers and you ignore your opening sequence to dance to the radio instead. Forcing your knees to bend and your feet to tap, you dance for Boris.

As you go, your feet start to burn. Your twisted ankle twinges. Your chest heaves. Your head aches.

You dance anyway.

Boris uncovers his eyes.

The instruments drop to a pianissimo, but you remember this part – this is where you whistle! You force your lips toward a pucker. Your head cracks open, and you pucker! With a hitch, you suck air into your lungs and begin to whistle. It starts off as more of a blowing, but you manage a note or two at the end.

You seek out an ink spot above Boris’ head where your eyes can focus as you spin. When you break out, you tap and stomp. Your body’s aflame, but it’s worth it to see Boris relax and step toward you.

The music ends. You wheeze. That burning hasn’t stopped.

Boris taps your shoulder.

You melt. Excess ink pours off you and floods the room.

Blinking, you look around. Is it just you, or is everything brighter and taller than it used to be? You meet one of your cut-out’s eyes at the same level and dash over to it. You examine yourself – _two gloves_ , four digits on each hand. Chest round. Feet in boots and not twisted.

You touch your face. It’s clear. You can find your cheeks, and you can feel your mouth move when you move it.

You know your yourself again when your wolf friend hugs you, as though to welcome you back.

He still shudders at footsteps overhead. You get it - you're scared too. You've got to get out of here, so you…

[…search for an exit.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42246362)  
[…snoop through employee information to find someone you can go to.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42246275)  
[…want to find Alice first.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42246182)


	30. Chapter 30

The projector is playing one of your show’s introductory sequences – a blank background with yourself dancing. But it’s been a while since you danced, and your eyesight is poor that you’re not sure you could imitate yourself without music. The last thing you want is for Boris to run away thinking that you’re not Bendy.

[Click here if you picked up a radio earlier.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41861870)  
[Click here if you did not pick up a radio earlier.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41861771)


	31. Chapter 31

You flip the switches as you walk through the dark, inky halls. Knowing you’ll need an ax to defend yourself, you keep going. You hope there’s a way in from this side. But as you approach the room with the giant pentagram, you notice thick, inky veins sprawling toward you.

Bendy steps through, examining everything through the Seeing Tool.

As quietly as you can, you take a step.

He startles.

You freeze.

First Bendy points to Sammy’s recording, then to the Seeing Tool, then to you, cocking his head.

“Yeah, that’s my work.”

Bendy lowers the Seeing Tool, wipes ink from his eyes with his free hand, and then he charges.

You sprint, but you can’t outrun him, and there’s nowhere to hide this time. He catches you. You squirm, but his arms wrap around you and he pulls you to his chest.

He breathes in your ear, one raspy breath after another. He pats your shoulder.

You calm. “You’re not trying to kill me?”

He shakes his head and releases you. He offers you the Seeing Tool back.

You take it. “Where did you find it?”

He points a finger toward the lower floors. He grabs your free hand and writes _D… A… D._

You squeeze his hand. “You don’t like it here, do you? They were cruel to you since the day you came from the ink machine.”

He nods.

“What do you say we get out of here together? I can’t guarantee they’ll be any kinder to you outside the studio, but at least you’ll have someone who loves you.”

In response, he hugs you.

Patting his back, you suggest….

[...that you sneak him out under the cover of darkness.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42248702)  
[…that you attempt to disguise him.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42248783)  
[…that you’ll come back for him when you’ve got some place he can live with you safely.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42248852)


	32. Chapter 32

You hide the empty can as you wait for Sammy to return, but he is not the one who comes.

An ax nearly takes your ear off. You step back, but you are pressed up against the pentagram and the wall. A Lost One is only an arm's length away, and you have no weapon!

The Lost One swings again.

The ax digs into your stomach. Your vision darkens.

Again. Again. And again. And then you are in the tunnel.

When you walk out, the Lost One is still in the hall. His glowing eyes widen as he looks your way. He drops his ax and runs through the same wall as Sammy.

"I see that you have been restored through our the loving grace of our lord. If one of us should pray for the other, it is you for me." Even without Sammy being around, his voice echoes in the decrepit hall.

You blink. Sammy has never reasoned that way before.

"But if you are in his favor, I will serve you. What would you have me do?"

As long as Sammy is being helpful, you request that...

[...he show you what he meant by Bendy showing him the outside.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40832612)  
[...he help you gather people to an exit.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40832849)  
[...he help you turn off the Ink Machine.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40833893)


	33. Chapter 33

You grab the nearest chair, but Boris swats it aside like it’s nothing. His hands wrap around your throat. He shoves your skull back against the shelves.

[Everything goes black.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40832183)


	34. Chapter 34

You run and pull the lever in time for the pipe to burst all over Boris. He melts instantly.

Breathing easier, you walk toward the hallway.

Someone else's footprints sound toward you. They stop on the other side of the leak.

You stop too.

Bass chuckles boom as though through invisible speakers surrounding you. “Bravo. You have to be one of the most resourceful Henrys I’ve ever pulled to this dimension.”

You back against the shelves. “Who are you?”

The chuckler steps through the ink. No, he isn’t an ink creature, but you can see the resemblance between him and Bendy: two black horns, one on either side of the head; small slits instead of a nose; white scales and black fur rather than skin; and a large grin of pointy teeth. “You understand why I can’t tell you my true name, even now, but as a prize for your resourcefulness, I’ll give you an honest answer to one _other_ question.”

You ask….

[...“I don’t need your name, but who are you?”](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42329108)  
[...“Was there ever a way out?”](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42329174)  
[...“Is everyone else okay?”](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42329201)


	35. Chapter 35

Grabbing the projector, you spin it toward Boris and turn it on. It shines in his eyes. 

The crackling image of your little devil darling covers him. Then it doesn't. Instead, the dancing demon hops right out and looks at you, trembling, with huge eyes.

He steps away and looks at the small gap between Boris and the hall.

[Click here if you’ve met Caelestis.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41903735)  
[Click here if you have not met Caelestis.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41903624)


	36. Chapter 36

You don’t understand why he’s so scared of you, but he books it past Boris, knocking the projector to the ground on its way. It breaks. The light goes out. Boris recovers.

With few other options, you….

[…grab a chair to defend yourself with.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41879480)  
[…turn on the ink flow.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41880323)


	37. Chapter 37

“I’m not him,” you call softly. “I’m mortal. Can we help each other out?”

He sniffs. As his posture relaxes, he nods. He stretches a hand toward Boris, and the monster melts immediately on contact.

Bendy stiffens.

“B-”

He clamps a glove over your mouth.

The pooling ink pulls you down, legs-first, and spits you out by a Bendy statue on one of the lowest floors. The real deal is with you, offering you a hand up.

You take it, smiling at the little Toon. “Thanks, bud.”

“I don’t really know how to send you home,” he admits. “The only thing I can think of to keep you safe is to make a demonic deal with you. I don’t know if I want to.”

You…

[…make the deal with him.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42330998)  
[…ask him if he knows how to leave this studio.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42331025)  
[…suggest tampering with the ink machine.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42331049)


	38. Chapter 38

You open the door and examine it carefully. There’s a pentagram on the frame. Is that what’s causing the trouble?

Looking over your shoulder, you see you’re still alone, so you slip to the art department to grab some ink. You have to stir the liquid with your finger to fight its congealment, but the bottle still works to paint over the pentagram.

You take a breath, hoping this works, and charge for the open door.

### Roll this die to determine how well it worked:

[Open me in a new tab.](http://rolladie.net/#!numbers=1&sides=6&length=1&last_roll_only=false&totals_only=false&start=false)

[Click here if you rolled a 1 or a 2.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42345998)  
[Click here if you rolled a 3 or a 4.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42346181)  
[Click here if you rolled a 5 or a 6.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41402402)


	39. Chapter 39

You walk back down the hall and find the ink machine already raised. What you need is the main power turned on.

When you return to the room with the pedestals, the candles are burning with black flames, the pentagram is smoking, and Alice’s corpse is gone.

Stepping around the pentagram, you focus on getting over to that power switch. The demonic symbols are still summoning smoke when you’ve powered the place up, so you count your blessings and hurry to the hall.

[You reach the doorway.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41619644)


	40. Chapter 40

At your old desk, you draw a phone and wait for it to dry, glancing down the hall every few seconds. After that, you fold your artwork up and put it in your pocket.

You return to the spot where you always fall. You jump to break through, but the floor is more solid than you expected. To get downstairs, you’ll either need to open a locked stairway door or flood the place with enough ink to break the floor.

Because you don’t have keys, you’ll have to go with the second option.

You sneak through the halls, tensing when you hear a low murmur from where you arrived in this dimension. You peek around the corner.

The hall gate clangs shut behind you, and the Boris corpse is ambling toward you. Its X-ed-out eyes look at you.

You run. The only place you can go is the cinema, where you’ll have to…

[…grab a chair to defend yourself with.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41879480)  
[...turn on the ink flow quickly.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41880323)  
[…blind Boris with the projector.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41903204)


	41. Chapter 41

You back away. “Hang on, even if this is another dimension, you were summoned with a pentagram. You’re some demon just using my face!”

He steps out of the pentagram boundaries. “You created a demon, Bendy. So did I. But _I_ talked my Joey into using even darker magic to bring him to life and got myself cursed for it. I go by Caestelis now, and there’s something I want to show you.”

The lights flash and you’re transported deep down beneath the studio, at the bank closest to the ink machine.

It reeks. It’s supposed to be a moat of ink, but instead it’s a moat of corpses and skeletons – all of them yours.

No, they’re not quite all corpses – there’s a young Henry with a twisted leg trying to crawl toward a wheelchair, but he’s been impaled and is dripping blood from his too-pale chest. He meets your eyes. “Run!”

Too late. From behind, something sharp runs through your heart.

You – your spirit – runs forward to help the younger Henry up. All you manage to do is pull him from his body.

He takes a breath that you’re sure is no longer necessary. “I was dead anyway.”

His spirit can stand, and he uses this fact to shove you down just as Caestelis charges. Your eyes widen as you see that your living alter is sprouting black fur, white scales, and horns. He looks like a non-toony version of Bendy.

“Come on – got to get to the light before he gets us!” The younger Henry sprints away and fades, but you don’t see any light.

Instead, you…

[...dive into the ink machine.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42408068)  
[...fly toward an exit.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42407936)  
[...look for someone inside the studio to help you.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42408107)


	42. Chapter 42

He may be your double, but he’s standing on a pentagram and smirking.

You snatch the wrench from a pedestal.

He chuckles. “Are you going to fight me?”

As he steps toward you, he drops his human disguise. Skin becomes black fur and white scales. Horns sprout on either side of his head. His nose flattens and his teeth sharpen. His grin grows inhumanly wide. “I used to be Henry Stein, but bringing Bendy to life cursed me. Turned me into this.” He spreads his arms out, showing you some bulky abs. “You can call me Caestelis.”

The wrench shakes in your hand.

You…

[…strike him between his horns.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42408830)  
[…ask for divine help.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42408851)  
[…surrender and beg Caestelis for mercy.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42408869)


	43. Chapter 43

“Bendy! Are you here? Please help me.”

The projector clicks on, whirring.

On screen, Bendy’s eyes turn toward you and widen. He sniffs.

He leaps from the light, into reality, and climbs into your arms. The moment you touch, the two of you are standing at the entrance to Joey Drew Studios, and everything is quiet.

[There’s a slip of paper covered in runes floating in front of you, which folds itself and slips itself into your pocket.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42638708)


	44. Chapter 44

You have your doubts – he _was_ summoned by pentagram – but you take a breath and meet his eyes. “If that’s true, will you help me get home? I’m sure you only want one you running around.”

He nods. “I will, but I have one condition.”

This isn’t going to be like Susie’s “teensey weensey favors,” is it? Still you smile and say, “Shoot.”

Smirking, he says, “I convinced Joey to use blacker magic to bring Bendy to life than he used in your dimension. No, that’s a lie – _I_ brought Bendy to life using that magic. I felt bad and accepted a curse so I could take better care of him. I don’t mind, but he’s gone now. He’s been switched with your Bendy. Will you help me switch them back?”

Switch the Ink Demons back? At least it isn’t despicable, but it’s still dangerous.

“Alright. How do we do that?”

“It shouldn’t be too hard. I’ll send you to your Bendy. You calm him down. I will hand you a summons to give to my Bendy and send the two of you home.” His lips drop. “The only thing is, if my Bendy is frightened, he has a tendency to turn into… well….”

You shiver. “Something large and terrifying?”

“Not that I expect a mortal to be able to handle that, but isn't it wonderful? He's not at all like your Bendy. Weakling. Even after he's been disciplined - no, _especially_ after he's been disciplined.” Your counterpart steps out of the pentagram, growing black fur and white scales and sprouting black horns from his head. “Since this curse, I’ve gained a second name, so if he’s frightened, tell him Caestelis sent you.” He offers you a clawed hand. “Do we have a deal?”

You shake on it.

Caestelis’s grin widens to inhuman proportions, showing you sharp white teeth. “Good. Your Bendy’s down the hall, in the cinema. And Henry? Watch your back.”

He laughs as you leave the room, and the sound shakes the building. There’s another echo too – the nearest gate clanging shut.

In front of you, the dead Boris clone stumbles off the table, turns around, and throws it at you.

You run. No place to go except the cinema, where you…

[…grab a chair to defend yourself with.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41879480)  
[…blind Boris with the projector.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41903204)  
[…call for Bendy.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41906147)


	45. Chapter 45

The fall is too much, even for Bendy. You can feel his ink losing its solidity, pooling beneath you instead.

But the feeling is faint. You’re going numb, and the world is going black. The only thing you can see clearly is that there’s a bright light directly in front of you.

You get up. A small hand slips into yours.

Bendy. He’s on-model in the spirit. You smile at him. “Ready to go, bud?”

He squeezes your hand. “I’m scared. I’m a demon. Shouldn’t I go to – you know.”

You pick him up. “I’ve heard so, but I’ve also heard things about demons that suggest otherwise for you. I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I promise I’ll be pleading for you at judgment if you are treated unfairly.”

He clings to you and nods into your chest.

Cradling your creation, you walk to

The End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	46. Chapter 46

You fill the available space, and as the body stirs, you feel yourself starting to connect to its synapses. Its pain floods in. Its sense. Its emotions. Its memories….

Everything is glowing, and you are falling asleep.

You wake up where it’s cold and dark. Ink clings to your whole self, but the worst part lurks in the back of your mind – a feeling that you’ve done all this before.

Joey Drew Studios. Curse Joey Drew! You’re not even sure how long you’ve been trapped in this forgotten place. You’re not sure what’s real or not anymore.

[All you know is that your name is Bendy, and you’ve got to turn on the ink machine in the other room.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41503115)


	47. Chapter 47

You fill the available space, and as the body stirs, you feel yourself starting to connect to its synapses. Its pain floods in. Its sense. Its emotions. Its memories….

Everything is glowing, and you are falling asleep.

You wake up where it’s cold and dark. Ink clings to your whole self, but the worst part lurks in the back of your mind – a feeling that you’ve done all this before.

Joey Drew Studios. Curse Joey Drew! You’re not even sure how long you’ve been trapped in this forgotten place. You’re not sure what’s real or not anymore.

[All you know is that your name is Henry, and you were invited here by an old friend.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40832183)


	48. Chapter 48

You drop.

Bendy grabs the chains. You slow, ink pouring around you.

The chains snap.

You plunge. Bendy forces you to roll in the cold, ink-misted midair. You glimpse the ink machine racing toward you.

Bendy thrusts you away a split-second before you hit the ground.

Crash!

It’s instant. You find yourself floating above the bodies and the wrecked machine, and you can see golden letters glowing on a shaft wall: _WE LOSE WHO WE ARE WHEN WE FALL._

Have you done this before?

Something moves beside you and gets your attention. It’s white. It’s glowing. You can see through it like a reflection on glass. It’s like one of those animator’s dolls that model poses: a head, a body, and joints; but no face, fingers, or any other details.

Is that Bendy?

You glance at your own hands. They’re identical to his.

He sinks toward the wreck and beckons you to follow him.

When you get down, there are two vaguely humanoid lumps doused in ink on either side of the machine. They’re the same size, and their features have melted into ink in machine-induced weirdness. You hate to admit it, but you can’t identify either one of them.

The lumps start breathing.

Bendy looks your way as though waiting for you to take the lead.

These are your bodies, and they need souls. You go with your best guess and enter the one on the…

[…left.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41908871)  
[…right.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41908913)


	49. Chapter 49

Bendy grabs the chains. You slow.

He swings there until he has the momentum to fling you both through the cascading ink and to a wooden floor. Then he pulls you into a hug.

When he pulls back, he takes your hand and traces _D… A… D_ with his cold fingers.

You return his hug. “Hey, buddy. If we can find a way out of here, you want to come home with me?”

He nods. He beckons you to follow him and, stopping for a fire ax, leads you to an exit. He points at something on the door frame and hands you the ax.

On the frame is a pentagram. It must be trapping him inside.

You chop it away and discard the ax. You step outside, turn around, and watch as Bendy – slowly – steps out of the studio.

Grinning, you take him to your car. “We’re free. We’re going home and never talking to Joey Drew again.”

The moment you get your demon strapped in and your car started, you know your worries about the studio have met

The End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	50. Chapter 50

It’s tight. It’s cramped. It’s dusty.

You’ve been in the pipes for nearly half an hour before you find him.

He’s tied up, and Sammy is walking away from him. Then he blares a summons through the studio – a summons for _you._

You’re going to kill him for this. You drop out of the vents in front of Sammy and strangle him to death. Again. You’d think he’d get a hint sometime.

You wait for the human man in front of the nearest exit, but he runs the moment you rise from the ink.

You keep near him as he descends deeper, deeper, deeper into the studio.

Eventually, he plays “The End.”

[You wake up with foggy, dream-like memories of the previous loop, with only a silent ink machine to greet you. You've got to turn it on.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41503115)


	51. Chapter 51

You wander to the lower levels, finding cobwebs in the filing cabinets and dust in the drawers. On one of the lower levels, you find something strange – a light box with a handle – through which you can see glowing golden messages. You don't remember this being here.

You take the device with you as you look for clues. You look…

[…on the top floor.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42649097)  
[…on the upper levels.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42649124)  
[…near the ink machine.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42649157)


	52. Chapter 52

You peer at the door frame. A pentagram? There? Your ink makes quick work of it, but it comes back. Clearly, you have to get something to destroy it.

Heading toward the lower levels, you growl to yourself. If that man really went outside, how are you supposed to catch up to him even if you get out? Still, you retrieve an ax and return to the exit. You chop at the frame until nothing is left of the pentagram but splinters.

Then you step outside.

You squint. Wait. Is that him? Running around from the music department’s exit, covered in ink.

He came back for you! You run toward him and pull him into a hug.

He struggles. Then he goes limp.

You shake him. He’s still limp.

You try to revive him with your ink. He’s still limp.

You lie him on the cold, soft ground and stand over him. There you get close enough to recognize him – it’s Henry, your creator. Waiting for him to wake up doesn’t change his fate.

Eventually, you go back inside, slink to Henry’s old desk, curl up, and bury your face in your knees.

Several hours later, an army of priests show up, armed with holy water.

Someone must have seen you killing Henry.

You push yourself to your feet, but a young priest is already dousing you in the stuff. It burns. Your ink starts dripping away. Soon, you’re more like a melted wax doll than an ink demon, and your life is slipping off to its

End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	53. Chapter 53

You grab the door and creak it open. You can’t see much out there except the cracked walkway and frost covering the wild lawn.

It’s darker than the studio out there.

You take a step forward and crash into an invisible barricade. Not even when you try your ink portal can you pass this spot.

You….

[… keep trying to get out.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41936096)  
[… crawl through the pipes.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41935916)  
[… look through records to find who that man was.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41936009#workskin)


	54. Chapter 54

You hear a clatter upstairs, followed by shouts.

“-will _not_ set you free. I’m not sure he could. Might as well eat them ourselves.”

It sounds like Henry. You hurry out to greet him. He is, after all, your Creator.

It is him. He’s standing knee-deep in ink, fishing out something small. When you squint, you can make out cylindrical shapes. Soup cans?

Henry is with Sammy, who takes a swipe at him with an ax.

Your veins flood the room.

Sammy is the first to notice. He points the ax at Henry. “My Lord! It is this heretical goat who destroyed your shrine. Not I!”

You…

[…kill Sammy.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42659222)  
[…greet Henry.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42659321)  
[…growl.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42659399)


	55. Chapter 55

You put a hand on his forehead, but you don’t remember how warm a human is supposed to feel. The heat feels nice against your cold ink though.

“I’m okay, but that was quite a fall. Just give me some time.”

He’s quaking.

You pick him up and put him on your shoulders, where he rests against your back. He reaches up and rubs your horns. You waggle them and he chuckles.

You carry him up the stairs and through an exterior wall. It’s a clear, bright day, and new sights assault your eyes. You shrink back.

Your new friend rubs your head. “It’s alright.” He laughs. “It’s been so long since I’ve been out here.’

Gathering your courage, you walk to the deserted street and follow his directions through the back ways until he finally whispers, “Put me down. Wait here and stay out of sight. I’ll be back. I promise.”

You watch from a shadowy alley as he begs a coin off someone and enters a phone booth. Several minutes later, he comes back, smiling. “Bendy, do you want to live outside the studio with someone who will care for you?”

You nod.

“My wife’s picking us up. I told her about you.”

For just a few minutes, you wait together. Then an older blonde in a red Sudan drives up, and you go to live with the Stein family. Your days in the studio have come to

The End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	56. Chapter 56

He notices where you’re looking and smiles. “Alright, no more disguises.”

His human form shimmers away. In its place is a creature with black fur, white scales, two horns, and sharp teeth. Another demon?

He holds out his arms.

You step forward, stopping two paces from him. From there, you stand and stare.

He lowers his arms. “You don’t know who I am, do you?”

You shake your head.

“I’m your father. I’ve been helping you.”

You growl under your breath, but you keep listening to him.

He glances around at the dark, dripping studio. “Sometimes young demons have trouble coming to full sentience – especially when they’ve lost their mothers. The best way to combat that is through stories where _they_ rule their surroundings. But being aware enough to pull off that last rescue _and_ check up on me? You don’t need this place anymore.”

With a wave of his hand, everything changes. The floor under your feet cleans and straightens itself. A strangely-colored oval rug pops up where you stand. It unbalances you and knocks you on your rear end.

But the rug is thick and soft – you can feel it through your glove.

Your glove!

You bring your hands in front of your face. They’re both proportional to you now, they both have your proper amount of fingers, and they both have their perfectly white gloves.

The rest of your body is similarly on-model, everything except your bow tie. You can just see its weird color as you look down at yourself.

You bring your hands up to fidget with it.

“Do you like it? It’s red, and the rug is blue.”

You get to your feet.

The room is different now – less spacious, no gaping hole, and it has a bed and a toy chest instead of desks and chairs. Even what’s left of the so-called studio is cleaner and in better repair: a single cut-out of you, leaning against a wall; a few toys, stacked neatly in the chest; and a shiny radio, sitting on a dresser. And there are colors. So many colors.

It’s fantastic!

But that other demon is still beaming at you. If he really is your father, why did he abandon you?

As though he can hear your thoughts, he says, “I didn’t. You needed to be the only demon around, so I took the form of other characters in that story.” He touches your horns, and you see them – Henry Stein, Thomas Connor, Boris, and so many others. Those were all him? Your… dad?

You step closer and allow him to lift you into a hug. You even return it.

He whispers, “We can start another story if you like, bud. To help you develop your powers. But this time, you’ll know who I am, and you can be anyone you choose. A ninja. A cowboy. A world-famous dancer. What do you say?”

You grin. With this new story, your childhood is at its beginning, and your infancy has reached its

End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	57. Chapter 57

You walk toward a projector and turn it so the light is shining through him. No shadow. You were right.

[Click here if you saw the “ALL GROWN UP” artwork earlier.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41978684)  
[Click here if you did not see it.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42339569)


	58. Chapter 58

You remove the reel from the projector and carefully put it in its case. It’s going straight to your treasure trove.

It only takes a few minutes to drop the reel off in your lair and go back to the level with the press conference room.

Sammy is gone by then, and you grin a little more sincerely at that as you search the surrounding rooms for more remnants of your never-met creator.

[You haven’t found anything by the time…](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41978471)


	59. Chapter 59

It must be Henry's message, and you're his creation. That makes you his family, doesn’t it?

He’s got to love you. But you haven’t seen him, so you…

[…look for more of his messages.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42221741)  
[…write him a secret message of your own, telling him where to meet you.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42662033)  
[…go upstairs and make a wish to the gods.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42662414)


	60. Chapter 60

You spend hours searching the studio with your new tool. Learning the truth has got to be more important than a few hours maybe getting your horn a little straighter, just a little closer to yourself, right? There must be a thousand messages throughout the studio. With ones like _EXIT?_ and _I KNOW THE WAY_ , they must have been written by someone in here with you.

Strangely, the studio feels empty, or at least as though someone’s missing.

You don’t figure it out until Sammy and the orchestra put on a concert for you with an offering of enough bacon soup for you to bathe in. When you come to investigate, your self-proclaimed prophet prostrates himself and apologizes for helping the Lesser Creator escape. “He beguiled our trust away from you. But my Lord, he has abandoned us!”

Lesser Creator? He means Henry Stein, right? He saw that newsreel too.

Something tugs on your ink as though you have invisible string. You walk away from Sammy and out through the exit door.

You arrive in a colorful little apartment, where your feet carry you to a bedroom.

If you could run, you would: it’s your Creator. The bad one. Joey Drew. He’s dangling a marionette of you from his wrinkled hands.

He scowls. “I don’t like how often I’ve had to use this lately, Bendy.”

You shake, but you couldn’t move a limb if you tried. Not while Joey’s holding your strings.

“I’d hoped Henry of all people would understand, but all we can do now is keep him quiet and away from anyone he could hurt in the studio.”

You whine.

Joey glares at you. “Are you defying me, _Bendy?”_

You quiet down.

“I’ll send Henry back to the studio. You have one last chance: keep him contained.” Joey points through a kitchen that reeks of disinfectant, and to the door. “Now go home.”

You’re down by the ink machine by the time Joey drops his spell and you can move of your own accord again.

After several hours of roaming the studio, you come across Henry – pale-faced and trembling. He turns and runs.

You…

[…let him go.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42680333)  
[…chase him.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42680378)


	61. Chapter 61

You lift it up and touch its side gently, as though you could beg it to find you a miracle. Even learning a way to reassure that man would be fantastic.

You look…

[…up on the top floor.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42711905)  
[…on the floor you’re on.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42711938)  
[…around the shaft you decided against climbing to get to the man.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42712019)


	62. Chapter 62

You gather film reels and turn off excessive upper-floor power, but you’ve only been able to fix maybe one thing about yourself at a time to get closer to on-model, so you’ll have to pick only one way to become less terrifying.

What would scare a human the most? Maybe you should…

[…get rid of the ink dripping over your eyes.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42225296)  
[…work on moving your mouth to form different expressions.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42225323)  
[…return to your cartoon size.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42225392)


	63. Chapter 63

[You can do that from the pipes.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41935916)


	64. Chapter 64

You’ve got “Tasty Trio Troubles” in the projector and a wall and poster beside you. You follow along as your younger self walks in the door, blinks, and walks to the counter. You blink at an imaginary Charley and turn your head to three spots on the wall as he presents the menu options.

Only the one has a poster – it’s really a poster for _The Dancing Demon,_ but it will have to do.

You keep looking, blink, take a step… and then you rip the poster from the wall and stick it to an imagined wet-nosed face.

More blinking as the show goes on, and a narrowing of your eyes. As you’re sitting on the ink machine’s grated floor, you “notice” the three angry Butcher Gang members in your memories.

The ink sets into its proper place, clearing your vision immediately. You can see the rich depths of the studio now, but what happened to all the white?

It’s not like you’re able to ask.

By the time you get to your feet, the projector has clicked off.

[Click here if you have help.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42731204)  
[Click here if you’re on your own.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42731249)


	65. Chapter 65

You point to your mouth and tug on its corners to get your point across.

Henry smiles. “I think I know just the reel for that. I don’t have its ending here, but do you think it would help if Boris and I acted alongside the cartoon too?”

He’s already moving toward the projector – “Tombstone Picnic.”

Your grin is sincere for once. You get in place, wrapping your hand around an imaginary basket handle.

Boris stands off to the side. Henry lies stomach to the ground and winks at you.

You start with your typical smile of course. You walk in place, swinging your arms with your younger self.

Henry times the trip well, and you think hard about the surprise he drew on your face all those years ago. Down you go, and you manage the flat line for pain when you hit the floor.

It only stings a little, and even that is fading fast.

You turn, gently tugging your foot away from your maker. He smiles as you shape your mouth into that frowning, open-mouthed focused expression he gave you. Somehow, it’s easier with him here, touching you. Like you can see it more clearly in your own head. And the future expressions are leaking in too….

The moment you lift your foot a third time, he sits up. You startle.

He just shakes a finger at you with a grin on his face. “That was very good, so don’t go giving up now.”

Lots of mouth here, dropped down low. And flatter. And more mouth again, but not as much.

You turn your head, gritting your teeth when you see Boris eating your imaginary sandwich. You clench them and push up your sleeves.

Sleeves. You miss those too. You’ve got nothing but ink.

You tap Boris on the shoulder, only to act baffled when he instead reaches for something on the ground – when did he and Henry get a blanket? He grabs the corner and you roll away.

Here in the studio, your mouth is getting sore as you constantly force it up a little, down a little, open a little, and shut a little. By the time you get to your prank though, you’re even able to cackle a little static at your wolf friend.

It’s not exactly your wheezing laugh, but it’s something.

You follow it along until the reel ends.

You grin, but just for some variety, you open your jaw, hiding your teeth behind your lips.

Your Creator, on the other hand, is running a hand through his hair, staring at the blank projector light. “Don’t tell me they’ve lost even more of it than when I was here – I could have sworn it showed one of your few spoken lines. You did want to talk, didn’t you?”

Speech. You haven’t been capable of that since Henry quit – the studio was small when you were created, so he voiced you himself. Speech has been off the table so long that you’d forgotten about it.

Besides, Toons in your world didn’t really talk. But from what you’ve seen, it’s humans’ primarily means of communication. You’d love to be able to… talk… for your Creator. You nod slowly.

Henry takes a breath. “Do you remember what you said?”

You open your mouth, but all you can manage is a wheeze.

He turns toward you. “What was that?”

You frown, but under his eyes, you try again. Another wheeze.

“Let’s try something.” He pitches his voice upward. “ _‘Father?’_ ”

When you mimic him, your voice comes out – softened and cracked from disuse – but it’s there. You grin. “Creator! Boris! It’s so good to have you back.”

Henry beams at you. “What’s next, Bendy?”

[You don’t get a chance to answer.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42731204)


	66. Chapter 66

You follow along to a trip through hell from your old movie, _Hell in a Hand Basket._ You were clearly the smallest demon back then, small enough to have to peer over the top of that mine car.

Although you don’t have a mine car in this studio, you were able to snag a cart from that haunted house ride in Bendy Land. By the time you and Boris land in hell in the movie, you’re small enough that you have to peer over the sides in real life too.

The ink that melted off you is currently flooding the floor every time you take a step, but you’re back to your original height – small enough that you are confident that your friends won’t be scared of you anymore.

[Click here if you have help.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42731204)  
[Click here if you’re alone.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42731249)


	67. Chapter 67

[You return to the floor where you last saw Henry and wrap your hand around the Seeing Tool's handle.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42222695)


	68. Chapter 68

Searching your memories for moments when you were most expressive, you come up with that picnic at the graveyard. You find “Tombstone Picnic” and set it in the projector.

You grin along with your younger self as he walks forward, swinging a picnic basket – how could you not when it’s the only expression you have left?

Your plan falls apart the moment the skeleton trips you. You aren’t able to pull off this bit of choreography on your own.

Throughout what’s left of the reel, you try to keep up with the ever-changing expressions, but at the end, you’ve gained little variation. If anything, you’ve developed a quivering grin.

Just what you needed: to be even more creepy.

The projector and the imprint system turn themselves off. They must cool down between uses.

Until then, you can…

[…look for more messages.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42225500)  
[…watch for opportunities to help Henry.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42222776)


	69. Chapter 69

Before you even gesture for Boris to follow you, your head is swimming. Is this light-headedness a result of your recent body change? How about this hallucination: for just a moment, you see a young man with ink-stained clothing and his arm around Boris.

You hold your head until it stops spinning for a moment.

Just a few minutes of being on-model again, and you're already losing yourself. Or are you finding yourself? In place of your toonish personality, a fatherly presence is pressing into your mind. _Bendy?_ it asks. _Is that really you? No, you can’t be real. You are a fictional character that I made up, and everyone else here is human._

The presence is so familiar. It’s- it’s you! You’re just a small part of it that got split off on your own. _The ink demon_ you – _he_ – called yourself – _himself_ , based on your old cartoon character – that separate part of your mind that used to chase you through the halls.

Now that you’re whole again – relatively speaking – who could be whole in one of these Toon bodies? – now that you’re whole again, you remember. Your name is Henry.

[You may look like Bendy now, but you’re still trapped in the studio – reliving this nightmare over and again.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41381624)


	70. Chapter 70

You and Boris take several days to search the studio, spending time at his safe house whenever you’re tired, and looking through paperwork whenever you’re not.

Joey Drew is out of course.

As is Susie Campbell – poor girl.

Even if you knew what happened to Thomas Connor, you wouldn’t want to live with someone who considered you so unnatural.

Then finally, underneath layers of white-out that you have to peel away, you find a name and a local address: Henry Stein. Does he still live in town?

Through just a shared look, you and Boris decide to track down the house. You force your way out an exit and sneak through the streets under the cover of darkness, taking several days of exploring until you finally find a small house with a well-kept flower bed under the front window.

Boris knocks on the door, and an older woman with graying hair answers it. She backs away. “Bendy? Boris?” She groans. “What did Henry let Joey drag him into now?”

You step to the door frame. “He does live here? Henry, that is.”

The woman grips the door. “He did. Then Joey convinced him to run off and become an animator with him again. He said he had something to show him at the studio.”

You and Boris both startle. “The studio!? Lady, you’ve gotta call the cops – no one stays at the studio of their own free will. Boris and I just got away. We were hopin’ Henry’d let us stay here instead.”

“What do you mean _got away?_ ” Her voice is a little more than a whisper. Her nails are digging into the door.

“Joey Drew’s a **HONK**. You’d be shocked at what it’s like, bein’ trapped in his old place. If Henry never came home, it’s ‘cause somethin’ happened to him.”

The woman opens the door wider. “Alright, you can come in.”

Her name, you learn, is Linda, but she doesn’t speak to you much. She calls the police and spends the next few days hovering near the phone, biting her nails. She jumps at every phone call and answers immediately.

Her little girl, on the other hand, loves to play with you and tell you all about how her father, Henry Stein, created you and Boris. He still tells her stories about you two.

Finally, Linda seeks out you and Boris, who are playing with her little girl. “They found him. I’m going to the station to pick him up. Could you make sure the house is standing when we get back?”

You agree of course.

When Henry comes home, you, Boris, and the Steins' little girl all rush to greet him, those of you who can speak calling, “Dad!”

He startles when he first sees your horns, but he calms himself with one loud breath and wraps his arms around you all. “I’m here, and I’m not leaving you again. Any of you.”

You lean into his touch, satisfied that your troubles have come to an

End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	71. Chapter 71

It’s not hard. You know the studio after all.

You take Boris’ hand and ride the pipes toward the main entrance, where, strangely enough, you have to leap over a large hole to reach the cracked door.

He stays back to watch.

You pull the door all the way open and attempt to step through.

It’s like hitting a brick wall. If Boris just saw that, you want to know why. Frowning, you take a good look at the door frame.

There’s a pentagram. You scratch it out with your horns and take a step forward, hoping that solved the problem.

It’s a blindingly bright day outside that completely obscures any grass, roads, or sky that should have been there. The light itself drives you back inside. Furthermore, you realize it: you don’t have anywhere else to go.

You…

[…go back for Alice.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42246182)  
[…snoop through employee information to find someone you can go to.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42246275)


	72. Chapter 72

The streets are foggy when you leave. All you can tell is that it’s dark.

Bendy pulls away from you, swiping at your hand.

Now why would he do that?

“Are you scared?”

He whimpers.

You put a hand on his back. “It’s alright. I’m right here. I’ll help you.”

He clings to you all the way home.

Linda is delighted to have you back, but she’s uncertain about Bendy.

You grab Bendy’s wrist, tugging on it every time he tries to run and every time he tries to charge Linda. All the while, you’re telling your wife and your toony son about each other.

Relations between them are far from perfect, but you have no reason to doubt they’ll improve. And to some extent, they can rein in their fears around each other before the night’s

End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	73. Chapter 73

You don’t have much to work with, but you gather what you can: ink, spare overalls…. You even find a tarp. You could make a cloak with that, couldn’t you?

Bendy glares at the stuff.

“Do you have a better idea?”

He nods. You follow him to the top floor, into the pedestal room. There, he lays one of his cut-outs in front of the power switch and kneels down, clasping his hands together.

What is he doing?

Little points of white light start to surround your creation.

“Bendy?”

He gives you a glance. Then the light covers him.

### Roll this die to determine how Bendy fares:

[Open me in a new tab.](http://rolladie.net/#!numbers=1&sides=6&length=1&last_roll_only=false&totals_only=false&start=false)

[Click here if you rolled a 1 or 2.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42733862)  
[Click here if you rolled a 3 or 4.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42733940)  
[Click here if you rolled a 5 or 6.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42733967)


	74. Chapter 74

You go home to your tiny apartment and wake Linda. After hugs and tears, you go to the kitchen together and fix up a hot drink. You explain what happened in the studio and what you promised Bendy.

The next day, the two of you tell your children and start looking for a real house – one with a fence and enough space for your poor Toon.

Joey Drew pays you a visit. “You saw him, right? My biggest regret. How is he?”

“He’s scared and alone. I promised him I’d come get him when I’ve got a safe place for him to live. Do you know of anywhere?”

Smiling, Joey tells you of a place he’s heard of in the next town over.

He gives you a thank-you present as well: it’s probably a lot from someone so broke, but he brought you a coffee. When Joey leaves, you take a sip of the strong, chestnut-creamed brew and go to look for Linda.

Your heart stings.

What did Joey put in this?

Your vision fades into black, leaving your life at a sudden

End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	75. Chapter 75

Sammy takes you down several levels. You end up somewhere between Bendy Land and the floor where Allison and Tom keep holding you prisoner. You wade through a flooded hallway and enter a door marked as a conference room.

You haven’t been here for a while, but you remember the place – it has the largest table at Joey Drew Studios, meant to comfortably sit several reporters around. Joey used it for press conferences. He still stores recorded press interviews down here.

Inside, a projector is sitting on the table. Sammy turns it on and the studio exterior appears, as well-kept as it used to be. The lawn is trimmed, the sidewalk is neat, and the building standing tall. Your much younger self is standing beside Joey and a Bendy cut-out, grinning. A reporter is standing to the side, speaking.

"After a long battle with the Hays production code, Joey Drew Studios is proud to announce a full-length Bendy movie, _Bendy and Boris Go to Hell in a Hand Basket._ For anyone who may be unfamiliar with the character, could you tell us a little about Bendy, Mr. Drew?"

Joey grins. "Bendy is a part of all of us. He is designed as a demon to represent the more mischievous part of our childhood, the part where adults look at us and worry about how we will turn out. But Bendy, he means no real harm to anyone. He is the most unfortunate little devil that ever lived, but he is always seeking out those who will give him a chance. He has dreams, and some day, they will come true."

Your eyes stay on the screen as the reporter interviews you and Joey about the movie, but your mind is elsewhere in the conference room. Last time you were here, you wrote a message about this tape. If Bendy was getting this out, he must have found it. You wish you remembered with more certainty what it was, but you think it said...

[_...YOU MUST LIVE WORTHY OF THE CHANCES YOU'RE GIVEN._](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40832684)  
[_...MY DREAM? MY FAMILY._](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42740705)  
[_...I'D STILL GIVE YOU ANOTHER CHANCE._](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42740771)  



	76. Chapter 76

It's simple enough to drain the stairwell in the music department with Sammy's cooperation. For the first time in who-knows-how-long, you open a door to the outside. It's the exterior exit on the side of the building that's at the bottom of the hill.

You grin at Sammy and the others you've gathered. "Welcome out."

You step out under a bright moon and a star-strewn sky, but the moment Sammy tries to step through the door, he stops as though he's run into a brick wall. "You lied to me! You said I'd be free!"

You walk back inside the studio and help him to his feet. "I didn't know. I'm not sure how any of this works, but-"

Sammy opens his mouth, but whatever he's about to say is cut off by a loud growl.

The ink creatures drop back into their puddles.

"It's the Ink Demon. He's angered."

You swallow. "Sammy, I promised I'd set you free. I'm not going back on that promise. I'm going to get help."

You flee the building before it can seal you in again, and you've got to admit, it feels great to be out, even if you are miles from home with no car and no phone. With your restored freedom, you go...

[...home to Linda and the kids.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40832906)  
[...to the police.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40833191)  
[...to a church to request an exorcist.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40833677)


	77. Chapter 77

You quietly confide to Sammy that Bendy's had a bad experience with the Ink Machine. You're not sure how he's going to react with you being down there. You do know of course.

Sammy takes you to a lift you've never been able to access before, and you ride down to Administration. The two of you look around for Bendy as you walk down the hall with the one-sided window. You emerge into the ink machine itself.

Your ally fidgets as you adjust the pressure valves, but you keep working until the pressure gauge is under 45 and the gears are stopped. Then you power it off from the machine itself.

You turn to Sammy and ask...

[...him to keep an eye out for Bendy as you play "The End."](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40834304)  
[...how he's holding up without the machine running.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42742220)  
[...him to help you leave the studio.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40834256)


	78. Chapter 78

“Some call me Caelestis. It’s rough a translation of half my true name – Henry. No, I am not this world’s Henry Stein, but it’s true enough – you are just a shadow of me. I am Bendy’s true creator.” A clawed hand smashes the wood beside your head, and the demon leans in. “Now, there is something I want from you.”

[Click here if you drew a phone earlier.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42639242)  
[Click here if you did not draw a phone earlier.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42638570)


	79. Chapter 79

He laughs. “This is the way out. You do remember _dying,_ don’t you?” A clawed hand smashes the wood beside your head, and the demon leans in. “But I will make you a deal.”

Can ghosts sweat? You swear you feel something wet on your forehead. “Yeah?”

[Click here if you drew a phone earlier.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42639242)  
[Click here if you did not draw a phone earlier.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42638570)


	80. Chapter 80

His mouth turns up. His laughter echoes through the cinema. “ _Are the others okay?_ You are literally in hell, Henry. _Everyone_ here is in hell. My hell.”

He rests a hand beside your head and leans forward. “Now, I’m willing to make you a deal.”

Can ghosts sweat? You swear you feel something wet on your forehead. “Yeah?”

[Click here if you drew a phone earlier.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42639242)  
[Click here if you did not draw a phone earlier.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42638570)


	81. Chapter 81

You pull him into your arms. “I’ve already made one demonic deal today. I think I can handle one more with a more honest devil than that corrupted _me_ upstairs. What is it you want?”

Bendy’s gloves twist into your shirt. “They told me what happened with that other me and that other you. What I want would turn you into a demon like him!” He buries his face.

Thick drops of ink bleed through the cotton and stick to your chest.

“I’ll find something that works out for you. But until then, can demons break their end of a deal?”

The Toon shakes his head.

“Caestelis made me the deal that he’d send the two of us home in return for returning his Bendy to him.” When your demon starts trembling, you squeeze him. “I think we’d better go find him.”

Ink climbs your legs and claims you again. This time, Bendy takes you to yourself.

Your alter is standing outside a freshly-drawn pentagram.

Your stomach churns. That’s not Boris’s ink, is it?

Caestelis prods you into the pentagram. “For this to work, you two are going to have to make an exchange – a bit of Henry’s soul for a bit of Bendy’s aura.”

“NO! NO CONTRACTS!”

You take your creation’s hand. “I don’t see a way out of this. We’ll have to work something into the contract requiring me to be good.”

Bendy scoffs. “A good demon?”

“You’re a demon, and you’re good, aren’t you?”

The Toon quiets.

“Are you finished?” Caestelis glares at the both of you. “Yes, it’s a contract, you dolts. I don’t have enough power to guarantee where you end up by myself. Work out any conditions you wish to include _now_.”

You meet Bendy’s eyes. “We _will_ throw the goodness thing in. What is it you were scared to ask?”

He exaggerates a breath. “Will you be my dad?”

“Bendy, I am your dad. You get us home, and I’ll stay good as a demon. Deal?” You hold out your hand.

“Deal!” He reaches for your hand.

Caestelis stops him. “Wait.” He hands you a paper with demonic runes and a sharp knife. “The more powerful contracts require blood.”

You tuck the paper into your pocket. Must be the Ink Demon’s summons.

The knife slices your hand like jelly. The wound throbs. You hand the knife to Bendy.

He pauses, but after a look at your smile, he cuts his own hand and shakes on the deal.

You land on the giant pentagram among the coffins. Bendy falls to the floor, eyes shut. The trip must have exhausted the poor thing.

As gently as you can, you carry him to Boris’s safe house and bribe his entry with bacon soup.

[Now, where to look for an Ink Demon?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42638654)


	82. Chapter 82

Smiling, Bendy teleports the two of you upstairs and runs you straight through a wall. You emerge among ivy-ridden trees that filter the sunlight green.

“He said he was formerly human – this world’s _me._ If we can’t return to our home, let’s take his. He didn't honor his end of the deal anyway.”

Bendy nods. “His true name is Henry Campbell. I hear he lived alone. This world’s Susie should be able to tell us more, if we can track her down.”

It’s a long journey, but you reach your new home in

The End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	83. Chapter 83

The two of you go downstairs, but as you’re reaching for a gauge down there, writing glows on your hand – a bunch of 0s and 1s. “What?”

You and Bendy are pulled into a tunnel of ink, and you see Bendy just over an arm’s length from you.

“Help me!”

You reach for him. Your fingers touch.

His face melts. His body lengthens. His form becomes the Ink Demon’s. He lunges for your throat.

You’re yanked backward before he can reach, and he’s taken the opposite direction.

Caestelis’ laughter booms inside your head. _I told you I’d_ _hand you a summons and_ _send the two of you home,_ _but it looks like the machine decided your home is in the world that created us both._

The yanking stops. Something shoves you sideways. Now instead of black ink with yellow light, you see black ink with white.

[And you can move again.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41402402)


	84. Chapter 84

You don’t want to believe it, so you ignore the thought.

But when you see your human friend walk through a wall, you can’t ignore it any longer. Humans can’t do that. Ghosts can.

He didn’t survive the fall. That’s right. Time is looping. He didn’t survive that fall through the floor the first time, and his spirit has been trapped here ever since.

You found a coffin for him yourself and laid him next to the nearest pentagram. At least he’d have two friends there to keep him company, Grant and Norman.

And you. You’re supposed to be setting him free.

He notices the look you’re giving him.

“Is everything alright?”

You raise your hands to his throat and send him to the ink tunnel. Maybe one of these days, a soul could actually escape. The ink machine can’t work forever, right?

But today isn’t that day. Your friend comes back, just like he always does, and at the end of the loop, he plays “The End” and kills you.

That’s right. You’re also one of the dead stuck here, but you never remember it.

But unlike your show, your cycle never has an

End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	85. Chapter 85

You make it through the door, but the bright sunlight and overgrown grass disappear the moment you step through. No, you’re still in the studio.

Not only that, but there’s a more realistic version of Bendy – one with scales and fur instead of ink – standing in front of you. He grabs your shoulder.

[Sharp teeth pull into a grin. "I'd offer you a better deal, but...."](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42638570)


	86. Chapter 86

You crash. The outside feels like plywood to you. Now that you're looking, you can tell it's a painted backdrop rather than a real place.

With that option out, you…

[…raise up the ink machine, knowing you’ll have to confront whatever the pentagram summoned.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41904542)  
[…grab some paper from the art department. Maybe if you draw a telephone, you can use one of the machines downstairs to make it real.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41904611)


	87. Chapter 87

You step out and look around. You're still inside a studio, but the walls are actually white, and the posters have a variety of colors. In fact, on the nearest wall, you see a dark violet poster with bits of red, yellow, and flesh-tone for _The Joey Drew Studios Movie: The Monsters of Joey Drew Studios._ The poster features you running from the Ink Demon, Bendy and Alice hiding under a table, and Boris clutching his chest.

You raise a hand. Black ink is seeping into your pale, flesh-toned skin. It's the only ink stain in sight. Your fingers are surrounded by a thin black outline, whereas the only thing with outlines here is that poster. You've never seen any place like this. "What is this place?"

"Hello, Henry."

You turn. Behind you is a younger Joey in a crisp gray suit and a top-of-the-line wheelchair.

He's got stacks of stapled papers in his lap. Peering over, you can see that they're in script format. You can make out the names Henry, Bendy, and Frankenboris.

Your eyes widen. "Joey?"

He wheels closer. "I know you're frightened, but you're going to be alright. Which do you want first: a friend, your true identity, or the full story?"

You reply that you'd like...

[...a friend.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41404379)  
[...to know who you are.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41500511)  
[...the full story.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41405696)


	88. Chapter 88

You fly as fast as you can, but the demon is on your tail. You might still reach the exit.

As you approach, you blank out for a moment, but it doesn't take long to come back to your senses.

### Roll this die to determine your success in escaping:

[Open me in a new tab.](http://rolladie.net/#!numbers=1&sides=6&length=1&last_roll_only=false&totals_only=false&start=false)

[Click here if you rolled a 1 or a 2.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42943400)  
[Click here if you rolled a 3 or a 4.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42408107)  
[Click here if you rolled a 5 or a 6.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41402402)


	89. Chapter 89

After a moment, the pain stops. Someone is tugging your arm. “Spit him out or I’ll make sure you never draw again!”

You open your eyes. “Is this normal when someone gets eaten?”

Joey Drew jabs a finger between your nostrils. “Drop the act and return him, Henry Ross!”

You blink. “My name’s _Stein._ You should know this.”

Joey jabs you. Again. And again. And again.

“What are you doin’?”

He takes his hands back. “Caelestis was looking for a compatible soul. Looks like he found one.”

You swallow. “What does that mean?”

“You’re him now. And I sealed the both of us in here a long time ago.”

“And Bendy?”

Joey nods.

It looks like your last chance of seeing your family again has met its

End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	90. Chapter 90

You play a twisted form of hide and seek with him inside the machine. In your quest to hide, you find several differences between this world and most: 1) Instead of a throne, there are beds made with the projectionist corpses – and are those children’s skeletons hanging from the chains? 2) There’s a crippled skeleton lying in a circle of blood. Written in Joey’s handwriting is _EVIL SHALL NOT LEAVE THIS STUDIO._ And 3) When the chase leads you to administration, Joey’s office belongs to two – you and him both.

You ghost in, hoping for a clue on how to get rid of the demon.

“Henry!” Joey’s spirit is in there, dropping a book. “You’ve got to move on. Now.”

“I can’t. In my-”

The door bangs open. Caestelis grabs you.

You squirm. “Joey!”

He rushes the demon. He heaves on his arm.

You’re being squished, compacted. Everything looks so much bigger from this size – each finger wrapped around your soul, each razor-sharp tooth inside the demon’s mouth, his long black forked tongue that caresses his meal. You slide down his throat and plop into his flaming stomach.

[You scream. His magic stretches you thin. Phantom tears leak from your eyes.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42408023)


	91. Chapter 91

You turn for the hall, but the demon is faster. He grabs you by your ankle and pulls you back.

You burn on contact. Your screams call through the studio.

Someone calls back, but they sound too far to save you.

No kicks affect the demon.

Razor teeth slide over your foot.

[If you’re going to be eaten, you don’t want to watch. You close your eyes. Your spirit is drawn into the furnace that is Caelestis’s stomach.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42408023)


	92. Chapter 92

He goes down.

You kick him. He’s out.

Before he can wake up, you leave to look at the ink machine. You just need to see if you can expect to monsters to come back or not if you get jumped, and then you’re out of here. You hope.

The machine is pouring ink, but there is neither a barred entry or an ink demon to greet you.

What there is is a pipe that bursts over your head, its ink thick enough to stop your exit. It floods the balcony.

Snap!

You drop into a growing whirlpool. You grab for the chains that support the smaller ink machine just so you don’t get swept away.

The act nearly yanks your arms from your sockets, but you’re safe. Eventually, the leak stops and the last of the ink drips down the shaft.

You’re not sure you could jump to the floor from here at your age. You might not be able to trust the floor anyway. Instead, you slide deep below the studio and wade through the larger machine until you find a hall lined with mirrors and a single valve.

When you turn the valve, the ink drains, leaving dried blood and a human skeleton at your feet. Bits of wheelchair are scattered across the floor. Your blood chills. “Joey?”

The temperature drops ten degrees. Cold breath blows on the back of your neck. “What do you want?”

You spin. Your foot lands on a bit of metal. You land on your rear end.

In front of you is a young, colorless, translucent Joey Drew, floating upright. Yelping, you kick yourself backward until you meet the wall.

You take a breath. “It’s alright. If I can knock out a demon, a ghost is nothing.”

Joey peers at you. “You’re not him, are you? You’re still human.” He kneels beside you. “What did he do now?”

You shake and tell him what you understand of the situation.

He frowns. “He must be looking for a pure version of himself to break my seal.”

“Your seal?”

He points to the bloodstains around his remains. They’re still covered in ink here and there, but you think you can see part of a word. “I regretted what we did to make the Toons real, but my best friend had already turned into a demon. He tricked me into selling my soul as his slave, and then he killed me. It was all I could do before I died to seal this place off from the rest of the world.” He meets your eyes. “Help me get my soul back and I’ll send you home.”

You…

[…agree.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43079378)  
[…decline.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43079393)  
[…make a counter-proposal.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43079444)


	93. Chapter 93

This is the room where they appease the gods, isn’t it?

Looking heavenward, you say, “Please help me!”

### Roll this die to hope for a response:

[Open me in a new tab.](http://rolladie.net/#!numbers=1&sides=6&length=1&last_roll_only=false&totals_only=false&start=false)

[Click here if you rolled a 1 or a 2.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42638570)  
[Click here if you rolled a 3 or a 4.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42408107)  
[Click here if you rolled a 5 or a 6.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43080386)


	94. Chapter 94

“Coward!” he hisses. “You’re lucky there’s something I need.”

He snaps his fingers and a runed paper appears in a burst of flame. “Deliver this to the ink demon in your world, and I’ll let you go. Fail me and I will eat you.”

[Fingers trembling, you take the paper.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42638708)


	95. Chapter 95

Your new demonic strength means it doesn’t even hurt. The Ink Demon growls. His grip tightens, and he grows to his beastly size.

“Easy,” you say. “We’re just here to get you home. Caestelis sent us.”

His grips loosens at the mention of Caestelis.

“Please let him go?” your Bendy asks. “I’ll trade ya – your way home for _my_ dad!” He’s holding the runed paper toward the Ink Demon.

Slipping back into his eight-foot form, the Ink Demon drops you on the floor and takes a paper. He disappears in a dark smoke.

You grin. “Good job, buddy! Come here.”

Bendy runs toward your arms, and you scoop him up, satisfied with how things turned out in

The End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	96. Chapter 96

He smashes you. Your neck snaps.

But your soul remains trapped in the studio, and you can see the Ink Demon turn on your Bendy. Smack. Splat!

Bendy’s soul is at your side in an instant. He reaches for your arms. “He killed us!”

“I know.”

Meanwhile, the Ink Demon is bending over to pick up the fallen bit of runed paper. He’s surrounded by a puff and black smoke and he disappears.

The moment he does so, your world’s studio is returning to carbon-based wood rather than the cartoon stuff, and the ink is drying up. You’d probably see more of it returning to the real world, but there’s a light beckoning you to come to

The End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	97. Chapter 97

You and Bendy split up. You take the Angel Path. He takes the Demon path.

Less than a minute later, you hear him scream. You run, pulling the runes from your pocket.

The Ink Demon tosses Bendy aside and goes after you instead. He slams you against a wall.

You struggle, and….

[Click here if you made a demonic deal with Bendy.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42637955)  
[Click here if you made no such deal with Bendy.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42637979)


	98. Chapter 98

Bendy reaches for you.

You close your eyes on instinct.

 _Wheeze, wheeze, wheeze._ Is that demon _laughing?_

He touches your eyes.

“I am not ungrateful,” comes Caestelis’s voice from the floor. “Consider it a farewell gift. Now give my son his summons.”

You scramble to do so.

The moment the Ink Demon touches the paper, he disappears into a puff of smoke and fades away. You’re safe to get out of the Little Miracle Station.

You do, and you’re still in the studio, but it’s not quite like you remember. Instead of seeing just puddles where the Searchers are sleeping, you see the souls of the damned. Instead of seeing dark hallways, you see everything as clearly as though it was lit by fire.

And instead of seeing your human appearance when you pass a mirror, you see Caestelis’s form glancing back at you. “Oh no.”

You sprint to the exit, but there’s nothing there but plywood. Even when you knock it over, there’s nothing but fire and brimstone on the other side.

At least the studio is cooler inside. With the Ink Demon gone, it is now your domain to rule, but it was a long time ago that your freedom – your humanity – your _life –_ met its

End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	99. Chapter 99

The Ink Demon grabs you. He opens his mouth and takes a bite.

Even your afterlife has its

End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	100. Chapter 100

He licks his lips. "A dummy like you couldn't get me anything else I actually want if I gave you a thousand chances, so I'll take your soul. Stay still, and I'll make this quick." 

He takes a bite, bringing your endless cycles to their

End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	101. Chapter 101

Bendy reaches inside your hiding spot and snaps your neck.

[You wake up with the other world's demon cornering you against a wall.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42638570)


	102. Chapter 102

It shouldn’t be possible while it’s still 2D, but the phone rings inside your pocket. You reach for it, and your fingers curl around something round and smooth – no longer paper at all. “Hello?”

“Let me talk to him.”

Heart pounding, you crack open the door and poke the phone through. “Bendy, it’s for you.”

He takes it from your hand and grins into it. You can hear Caestelis’s voice scratching through the connection between worlds, but he’s not speaking a language you know.

Bendy drops the phone and pries open the door instead.

[Click here if Caestelis told you you're his shadow.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42638468)  
[Click here if he told you you’re already dead.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42638513)  
[Click here if he told you neither of these things.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42638594)


	103. Chapter 103

You enter the Demon Path and he catches sight of you. He charges.

You run for the nearest Little Miracle Station, where he waits right outside the door.

[Click here if you have a sketched phone in your pocket.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42638828)  
[Click here if you do not have the sketch.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42638594)


	104. Chapter 104

You search the studio, top to bottom, but it seems like now that you want to find the Ink Demon, he’s the one that runs and hides. So well that you haven’t seen a drop of his ink.

But after you’ve searched the Heavenly Toys workshop, you hear a familiar _thu-thump, thu-thump._ The demon is just distant enough that ink trails can’t give away whether he’s in the Angel Path or the Demon Path.

[Click here if you have someone helping you look for the Ink Demon.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42638015)  
[Click here if you do not have someone helping you look for the Ink Demon.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42638759)


	105. Chapter 105

Demons recover more quickly than you realize. Or they must, because the next thing you know, Bendy is running after you. “Please can I come with you? I can be an extra set of eyes.”

You bend down. “Buddy, I want you safe. Stay with Boris.”

“Nuh-uh!” He grabs your sleeves. “We’re safer if we stick together. Sometimes, demons _eat_ other demons. What if the other me catches one of us unaware?”

You…

[…let Bendy come with you.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42638708)  
[…leave Bendy with Boris.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42638708)


	106. Chapter 106

The demon snaps his fingers and a runed piece of paper appears. “I’m sending you home. Return my son to me, or I will drag you back and eat you.”

“Your son?”

He grins, showing his pointed teeth. “Bendy.”

[In another snap, you're at the entrance of your Joey Drew Studios.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42638708)


	107. Chapter 107

You pass the fallen balcony on your way to the top: _THERE NEVER WAS A CHOICE._

If you didn’t know any better, you’d say it was talking about you. Sometimes, your body does things of its own accord. Ever since Joey did something to you.

You find other messages on this floor: _NOT ALL DREAMS COME TRUE. JOEY DREW NOTHING._ And tally marks, as though someone has been marking the times a nightmare was lived.

The worst part is that you remember now: that man in here, that’s Henry Stein, your true creator. He’s killed you over and over, and – worse – you’ve killed him again and again. You’re both helpless victims here, trapped in a time loop that has no

End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	108. Chapter 108

You find a big clue several floors beneath the broken boards: _I ALWAYS FALL._ But it was the human that fell through here.

The ink in your stomach churns. You had a feeling like you’ve done all this before, and now you find this.

Perhaps you can get some answers, if only you can find the man. But when you see him again, he runs and doesn’t come out from the hall whose door he latched behind him.

He’ll have to come out eventually, but in the meantime, you keep using the Seeing Tool. You find a message on the desk with your rejected concept art: _HE WAS BORN HERE._

That man, he’s Henry Stein, isn’t he? Your Creator. You have got to stop him from being scared of you, but you’re not sure how to do that, so…

[…you try to get more on-model.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42222716)  
[…you leave him a message of your own.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43143356)  
[…you make a wish to Joey’s gods.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42662357)


	109. Chapter 109

_FOLLOW ME. I KNOW THE WAY OUT._ And several like messages lead you around your own floor until you reach a cavern, where there is a coffin: _ME._

You whine. It’s got to be one of the souls caught in the machine, but whose? And where’s that human you’ve been following around?

After taking a moment to pay your respects, you keep looking around.

Above the coffin is a drawing of some kind of tunnel. Its end is labeled _THE AFTERLIFE_ , and there’s a hole with an arrow that points down to _THIS PLACE._

Is whoever drew this still trapped? You get the feeling they don’t know it’s the ink machine keeping them here.

You still haven’t found anything to identify the man upstairs, but maybe he can help. He’s got to be scared.

You get a bucket of ink and write a message next to the secret one: _I WON’T HURT YOU. I NEED TO SHOW YOU SOMETHING._ Afterwards, you draw an arrow between your message and the tunnel’s hole.

Next you go upstairs, draw arrows to the site, and slide the device toward the man.

“Hello?” he calls. “Who’s there?”

You…

[…hide and watch to see if he’ll follow the trail.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43144121)  
[…show yourself.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43144205)  
[…wait for him in the tomb.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43144154)


	110. Chapter 110

You swing at Sammy, but Henry steps between you and him. Your hands tear straight through him. He drops.

Sammy runs off while you’re staring at the mess that was Henry.

No, you can still save him, right? The soul catcher is on. You can bring him back. Already, you can see him rising from the ground, eyes closed, all white and glowing. You reach for him.

### Roll this die to explore the possibility:

[Open me in a new tab.](http://rolladie.net/#!numbers=1&sides=6&length=1&last_roll_only=false&totals_only=false&start=false)

[Click here if you rolled a 1 or a 2.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43149149)  
[Click here if you rolled a 3 or a 4.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43149215)  
[Click here if you rolled a 5 or a 6.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43149356)


	111. Chapter 111

You reach for Henry, but he runs. You chase him around a corner, where he’s disappeared.

There’s a Little Miracle Station from which you can hear panting, but if he’s scared of you, opening the door will only make it worse. You don’t know how to calm him down either.

You let him be until you hear strange noises – clanks and curses echoing through the pipes from the lower levels. You drop into the ink machine in time to see him holding “The End.”

You growl and charge, but he plays it before you can get there.

Horrified, you watch as the projector shows the words on the walls. You turn toward Henry, but it’s too late.

Your vision swims. Your body burns. You scream.

  


You wake up in a bed of ink, and your memories of the previous loop are fading fast. Maybe if you could just be a little less frightening this time, your creator would care for you.

[Soon, all you know is that you’ve got to start up the ink machine in the other room.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41503115)


	112. Chapter 112

Sammy backs away.

Henry does too, stepping out of the ink. “You’re some savior. Sammy and the others worship you, and in return, you do nothing but threaten and harm them.”

The words may be addressed to you, but Henry’s turned just enough to be talking to Sammy instead. You whine.

“I will punish him for that insult, my Lord.” Sammy raises his ax.

You rush in and grab it by its blade. You fling it into the ink, grab your creator, and pull him to your chest.

He’s warm.

After a moment, he hugs you back. “Hello, Bendy.”

You don’t ever want to let him go, but he pulls back.

“I thought you were a monster. I’ve never been so glad to be wrong.” He beams at you. “I’m proud of you.”

Your Creator is proud of you! You preen.

“Sammy and I are working together to break the curse on this studio. You wouldn’t have any ideas, would you?”

You…

[…hand Henry the Seeing Tool.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43296992)  
[…show him the ink machine’s controls.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43297967)  
[…wait for him to keep talking.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43298939)


	113. Chapter 113

You start looking for the special ink that can be seen only through this tool. As you search, you stumble across a cooling corpse near the music department, on that giant pentagram.

It’s older, but you recognize the body: it’s Henry’s.

You cradle it to your chest and sit with it for a couple hours. In the room with you are several coffins, one of which you know to be empty.

You remember now: this has all happened before. Every time, Henry enters the studio and turns on the ink machine. He’s your unwitting “power thief.”

Most times, you climb the ink machine’s chains upstairs to confront the power thief, but you get curious when you see a human running around your home. You always grab at him to get a better look.

He always runs, and whether you bumped something while climbing the chains or not, the old pipes always blow, flooding the entire studio with ink. He falls through the floor just feet from the exit, stumbles around injured, and passes out here. There’s never anything you can do for him.

But maybe now, there is, if you can find the special ink. And after trailing his ghost around for a bit, you have some ideas of where to look for it.

Now, you can tell him…

[…not to be scared.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43143356)  
[…what happened to him.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43316387)  
[…about the ink machine.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43316450)


	114. Chapter 114

Squinting, you make out graying hair and crow-footed eyes. He does seem like you’ve seen him before. Wait, this is Henry!

You bounce your head and squeeze him a little.

He gasps. “Whoa! Can’t breathe.”

You release him and hang your head.

“It’s alright.” A wrinkled hand touches your forearm. “Boris and I are looking for a way out of this place. Do you want to come with us? I’ll give you a home.”

Creator. Home. Sounds nice.

You nod. Slowly, you point to your cut-out.

“I know, bud. I think we’ll need the ink machine for that. Think you can show us how to use it?”

Taking their arms, you open a portal and step through. They help you get the machine working, and then, with your Creator and your best friend there to support you, the first thing you work on regaining is your…

[…eyesight.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42225296)  
[…facial expressions.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42225359)  
[…non-frightening stature.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42225392)


	115. Chapter 115

Squinting, you make out graying hair and crow-footed eyes. He does seem like you’ve seen him before, but you can’t think where. You shrug.

His expression goes unreadable. “My name is Henry. I was an animator here in the studio’s early days.”

He pauses, eyes on you.

You don’t know what he’s getting at, so you keep watching him.

“We only had an animator or two at any given time, so I was in charge of scenery, inking, and...” He pauses slightly, eyes resting on you, lips turning up, “...character design.”

You peer at him. Is this your creator? Or one of them.

He places a wrinkled fleshy hand on your arm. “I even came up with the concept for you. Boris and I are looking for a way out of this place. Do you want to come with us? I’ll give you a home.”

Creator. Home. Sounds nice.

You nod. Slowly, you point to your cut-out.

“I know, bud. I think we’ll need the ink machine for that. Think you can show us how to use it?”

Taking their arms, you open a portal and step through. They help you get the machine working, and then, with your Creator and your best friend there to support you, the first thing you work on regaining is your….

[…eyesight.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42225296)  
[…facial expressions.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42225359)  
[…non-frightening stature.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42225392)


	116. Chapter 116

All you can do now is look for more messages. You continue to climb the studio, spying all sorts of random things through the Seeing Tool on the way – more jokes, more comments, not really any hints.

By the time you reach the top floor, the pipes have blown. The ink reaches your knees, and it’s still pouring.

You would turn back if you couldn’t hear a  _ _splish, splish, splish__ near the entrance. Instead you wade through and see a – is that a human? an actual, flesh-and-blood-human? – a human man running for the open door through which sunlight could pass but ink never could.

As you’re sloshing after him, the floor breaks. He falls. You watch him tumble. The moment before he’s gone from your sight, his eyes meet yours. They’re crinkled and old, and you wouldn’t recognize this person even if you met him briefly way-back-when.

Splash.

If he survived the fall, he’s going to need the ink to stop pouring so he doesn’t drown. You melt into the ink and pop up by the cinema’s flow switch. You turn it off. The ink is still falling, but the deluge is slowing to a  _ _drip, drip, drip.__

When you go to check on the man, the ink is drained and he is gone. No one really comes here, so you skipped this place on your way up, but when you raise the Seeing Tool, you see golden letters through it: _I ALWAYS FALL._

[…look for more of his messages.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42222695)  
[…try to get a little more on-model.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42222716)  
[…watch for ways to help him out.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42222776)


	117. Chapter 117

All you can do now is go after the power thief.

Near the top, you find a strange tool that lets you see glowing golden letters. You bring it with you.

By the time you reach the top floor, the pipes have blown. The ink reaches your knees, and it’s still pouring.

You would turn back if you couldn’t hear a _splish, splish, splish_ near the entrance. Instead you wade through and see a – is that a human? an actual, flesh-and-blood-human? – a human man running for the open door through which sunlight could pass but ink never could.

As you’re sloshing after him, the floor breaks. He falls. You watch him tumble. The moment before he’s gone from your sight, his eyes meet yours.

Splash.

If he survived the fall, he’s going to need the ink to stop pouring so he doesn’t drown. You melt into the ink and pop up by the cinema’s flow switch. You turn it off. The ink is still falling, but the deluge is slowing to a _drip, drip, drip._

When you go to check on the man, the ink is drained and he is gone. You glimpse gold letters through your tool: _I ALWAYS FALL._

The feeling that you’ve done all this before isn’t just you, it it? You’ve got to find that human now, but he’ll be scared of you. Everyone is.

To get ready to meet him anyway, you…

[…look for more of his messages.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42222695)  
[…try to get a little more on-model.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42222716)  
[…watch for ways to help him out.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42222776)


	118. Chapter 118

You walk up to the top floor. It’s flooded by the time you get there, so you go and pull the pump switch that will drain it.

When all the ink is gone, you go to the sacrifice room, kneel in front of the studio’s main power switch, and offer Joey’s gods some of your own ink.

You stay for a moment in silent prayer.

### Roll this die to see if the gods heard you:

[Open me in a new tab.](http://rolladie.net/#!numbers=1&sides=6&length=1&last_roll_only=false&totals_only=false&start=false)

[Click here if you rolled a 1 or a 2.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43317134)  
[Click here if you rolled a 3 or a 4.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43317170)  
[Click here if you rolled a 5 or a 6.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43317221)


	119. Chapter 119

On your way upstairs, you hear a bump and catch a glimpse of Boris running into a Little Miracle Station. You can hear him whimpering inside as a projector near the station turns on.

Your heart breaks. It’s been years since Henry left the studio, and humans age. You’re not sure you would recognize him even if he did come back. But Boris is a Toon like you. When you can’t have Henry, you can have him. If he ever stops being scared of you.

It should be simple really – get him to look past your terrifying appearance and see the Toon he’s always known. You…

[…stop to offer him a handshake.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41861702)  
[…dance for him.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41861753)  
[…think you’ll have better luck if the gods help you out anyway.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42662357)


	120. Chapter 120

He runs into the nearest Little Miracle Station, and you pretend not to know where he is. You walk off.

Several hours later, you melt into a puddle, and your life slips to its

End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	121. Chapter 121

He reaches for the nearest Little Miracle Station, but you snatch him by the back of his shirt. You lift him to your eye level and growl.

Trembling, he says, “I’m sorry what happened to you. Last night, I went home and talked with my wife. We’re willing to take anyone who can stop hurting others. I want to give you a chance.”

You can’t take him up on it, even if you believe him. You believe Joey’s threats more.

You risk…

[…a guilty conscience in avoiding Joey’s ire.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43333361)  
[…Joey’s wrath anyway to keep Henry a little safer inside the studio.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43333397)


	122. Chapter 122

He fell because he ran from the flooding ink machine. You decide to start from there, so you back track to the point where the inky cascade deposits things that fall from the top floor’s machine viewing room.

[It looks the inundation was especially bad this time.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42649097)


	123. Chapter 123

You follow the halls and stairs, examining everything through the Seeing Tool. Your stomach churns as you see names on the coffins, Grant and Norman.

You’ve just left that room when you hear a footstep. You look. It’s him!

He’s still in the hall with you, but his body is set to sprint at any moment. You’ve got to find a way to put him at ease.

You start by taking your attention off him. Instead, you look around with your new tool.

Nearby, you see a message, _DECEIVED._

Maybe you can work with that. You already know that he’s the one writing the messages, but you point to the word, then the tool, and then the man.

“Yeah, that’s my work.”

You’re not really sure who he is, but if he cared what happened to Sammy, he’s much better than Joey Drew. And him knowing Norman and Grant, he would have to be connected to the studio. Finally, someone came back.

Wiping extra ink from your eyes, you promise yourself that you can trust this man. You’ve got to. He’s the first chance out of this awful place that you’ve really had.

You run. So does he, but you’re faster. You sweep him into a hug.

He squirms at first, but you’re being gentle. Finally, he asks, “You’re not trying to kill me?”

You shake your head. What has everyone been telling him about you?

When you offer him his Seeing Tool back, you watch his face. It softens. And he looks at you almost like a… parent? Is that how a parent would look at you?

His hand brushes yours as he accepts the tool. “Where did you find it?”

You answer his question, then you take his free hand. You trace on its back _D…A…D._ You still don’t know who he is, but if he’ll accept you, you’ll try to be a good son. After all, you promised yourself that you can trust him.

He squeezes your hand. “You don’t like it here, do you? They were cruel to you since the day you came from the ink machine.”

When you respond, his eyes light up. “What do you say we get out of here together? I can’t guarantee they’ll be any kinder to you outside the studio, but at least you’ll have someone who loves you.”

You hug him.

“Think you can get us out the back door? It should be dark soon. We can get you home without anyone noticing you to attack us.”

And he’s right: it is dark soon. Not only is it dark soon, but it’s foggy as well. You know it’s safer this way, but you’ve never been able to see well. You’d feel better if you could make out your surroundings… just in case you had to return to the studio.

Suddenly, his gentle hand feels like a trap. You swipe at it.

But even then, he’s patient with you. “Are you scared?”

You can’t help the whimper that escapes your throat.

His warm hand finds your back. “It’s alright. I’m here. I’ll help you.”

He’s nice. And you promised yourself you could trust him. Why did you forget?

You cling to him all the way to your new home.

The outside world is scary, but the man – your creator, you find out – and his wife help you leave your past to its

End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	124. Chapter 124

He’s there. Your coming startles him.

You grab his hand, but his momentum is enough to drag you down too. You miss the hole that the smaller machine usually sits on and bounce into the inky moat instead.

It was a long fall, even for you. And all the magic around the ink machine doesn't help either.

You melt. The human dies. No, his body turns to an inky lump. As does yours. And both are still breathing. But which one’s which?

You go with your best guess and enter the one…

[…closer to the ink machine.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41908913)  
[…further from the ink machine.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41908871)


	125. Chapter 125

You race toward your friends, hands raising in front of you. You hear yourself growling, even as you black out.

You don’t know how much time has passed, but a shout breaks you out of your trance. It’s Henry’s.

The moment you’re aware again, you are several levels above the ink machine, inside the walls. You hear clanking in the distance, and faint whimpering several yards away and a girlish giggle at his side.

Henry and Boris both need you, but you can’t be in two places at once and you’re too tired to run, so you…

[…grab something to throw at your friends' attackers.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43338107)  
[…direct your friends some place safe.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43338653)  
[…trust Henry to take care of himself as you sneak up on Boris’s attacker.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43339211)


	126. Chapter 126

You take the stairs up to look for the man. As you’re walking through a wall on one of the upper floors, you hear a man’s scream several rooms away. You also hear a wolfish whimpering and a girlish giggle near your fellow Toon.

They both need you. You’re tired enough from pulling yourself toward model that you can’t run, but you can…

[…grab something to throw at their attackers.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43338107)  
[…direct them some place safe.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43338653)  
[…trust the man to take care of himself as you sneak up on Boris’s attacker.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43339211)


	127. Chapter 127

Boris accompanies you the way he always does in your loops. You walk through the dark hallway together - in silence this time - but you're small enough to crawl through the vents after him. You enter a small room with a lever, a few tools, and a cage dangling high above.

"Bendy!" a feminine voice calls from the cage. "You found him!"

You look up. Locked in the cage is a truly on-model Alice Angel.

She sounds like Linda.

Boris hands you a key and hoists you above his head.

You can just reach the cage's lock.

Alice hops down and wraps her arms around both you and Boris. You lean into her touch, relaxing into her soft black dress. You close your eyes.

When you open them again, you're at Joey Drew's - you, Boris, and Alice. He's in the living room with you, sitting to you with his back to his desk. His pen is scratch-scratch-scratching across some paper.

You signal to Boris to lift you above the man's shoulder.

Normally, you see comic panels of the haunted studio at the desk, but what Joey's working on now is a legal document: _The Last Will and Testament of Joseph Drew._

Your eyes widen and you take a good look at Joey - his face has three times the wrinkles it did the day he first sent you to the studio, and the last tuft of hair remaining on his head is shock-white.

You scan the meager possessions he has left to give to others: very little family, old friends and employees mostly. His leaving the ink machine to your daughter catches your attention, and what he requests she do with it makes your ink jiggle.

_...and request that she leave it untouched in memory of her parents, her brother, and all others whose lives were snuffed-_

You lean further over Joey's shoulder and tumble into his lap.

He drops his pen. "Henry? Is that you?"

You scramble from his lap and stand a yard away instead. Then you nod slowly.

Joey smiles. He glances over his shoulder and smiles at Boris and Alice. "You found Linda and Luke."

"Who?" Alice asks. "Bendy, you really shouldn't tell him we're people we're not."

Joey's head hangs. "I'm sorry. I got them stabilized into Toons right away, but I couldn't keep tabs on them. I suspect their memories faded over time. Yours might as well."

You blink. Stepping forward, you jab your finger at the part of the will that mentions your deaths and stare at Joey.

"You still don't remember? Well, you might not have known in the first place. They said yours was instant. But you don't remember ending up in hell? The real one. Not the one I created to get you out of there."

Alice - Linda - puts her hands on her hips. "Mister, he's from hell. I don't know what prank he's been pulling on you, but you didn't create a hell. Bendy can't do that, and he's a devil."

Joey holds up a hand, head drooping lower. "You'll want to listen to the end of what I have to say before believing I'm victim to a prank."

On your part, your eyes go wide and you inch closer to your old friend.

"I'll take that as you don't remember. Henry, years after you left, I built an amusement park based on our characters. You weren't a current employee, but you were Bendy's creator and my best friend. I invited you and your family to the grand opening."

You nod. You remember that trip. Sort of. Your son was delighted when you said you could all ride the _Bendy and Boris Buddy Railroad_. You remember the gleam in his blue eyes, the grin on his lips....

Joey hung his head. "Before the park opened, I pressured you and many others into performing a little ceremony with me. A skit, I called it, to summon Bendy. It was a demonic ritual that lost us all our souls. My fault."

That too. You pushed back a little because you didn't like the image, but you went along with it because you didn't think it was real.

With the remorse Joey's displaying, you take another step closer.

"The park train wasn't as thoroughly inspected as it should have been. That is again my fault. This time for cutting corners on maintenance. On the park's opening day, it derailed and crashed into an octopus ride, killing many I'd invited because of their association with our cartoon. Of your family, only your daughter survived. Your deaths came as quite the shock to me. I took your daughter in, just like you asked, and raised her the best I could, but I couldn't just leave the rest of you in hell."

Joey's knobbly fingers are digging into his pants.

Linda takes a step forward. "Sir, I'm sorry for your loss, but we're not who you think we are. Bendy, you shouldn't tell him such lies!"

"He told me nothing." Joey makes a fist. "If anything, I keep lying to him. I keep telling him that there's something I need him to see in the old studio so he'll stay in the ink machine. I worked hard on it to pull the departed souls I doomed out of hell, but stay out here too long, and you will be pulled back. Until now, he's been looking like himself. I thought he'd be more comfortable with a body than with just his soul in the long-run."

You nod. Linda starts to frown.

"I was able to put yours and your son's in those bodies myself, but Henry's wouldn't take and the Toon meant for him ran around soulless instead. He had too much he needed to work through."

You nod again. Linda shakes. "Then what are our real names, _warlock?"_

You wrap your arms around your wife as Joey answers. You take one of her hands in yours and write _HE'S SORRY_ on the back of her hand. With a forced smile, you shoo her and Luke back to Joey's ink machine.

When you turn back, you mime a paper and pen for Joey.

He riffles through a drawer. As he hands over an empty memo pad, he says, "You'll be interested to know that I undid the curse on the survivors. The only one going to hell is me. And your daughter grew up to be a beautiful woman with children of her own. Your grandson, Henry Ross, grew up to be an animator like you."

You smile over the top of your latest drawing. Several minutes later, you hand over a character concept: _Joey Drew - the Story Teller._ It's a cartoon version of the man sitting in the room with you, except a lot younger and a little more whole. You write a note as Joey is studying it: _WHAT DO YOU THINK? SOMEONE HAS TO REMEMBER WHO WE REALLY ARE, AND I THINK I WAS JUST HANDED THE CHANCE TO DO SOMETHING._

Joey sits there for a moment, wide-eyed. "You'd let me join you?"

Of course you will. Nodding, you hold out a hand.

He shakes it. "Thank you. Now return to the machine before something happens. I'll join you soon."

When Joey arrives a few days later, you all work together to give those in the studio a better

End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	128. Chapter 128

He melts. You kneel beside his puddle. “Bendy? Come on, you’ve got to get up.”

He never does.

You go for an old pen and leave him a note where to find you if he ever comes back. Then you jump your way across the hole in the floor, open the door, and leave the old studio.

Your heart is heavy as you drive home. You spend the night with your family for the first time in years, telling your wife that your friendship with Joey has reached its

End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	129. Chapter 129

His ink melts like a popsicle in the Sahara.

“Don’t kill him!” You grab Bendy’s arm, but he swats your hand off.

The ink pools under his feet as he shrinks down. When the light fades away, he’s left at three feet tall and perfectly on-model. He examines his hands, pats himself down, and blinks up at you.

“Are you okay?”

He grins.

You spare a smile at the gods’ apparent alter. “Thank you.”

You wrap your little demon in the tarp and carry him to your car. There was never a chance of him leading a normal life, but at least his suffering in the studio has come to its

End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	130. Chapter 130

You shield your hands, but the flash only lasts a moment. When it dies, you’re left blinking at a little human boy with big eyes, black hair, and a Bendy Halloween costume. “Is that you?”

“Did they help me?” Bendy peels back a glove, revealing pale flesh underneath. “I can talk! Whoa! Dad, I’m like you now!”

You offer him your hand. “So you are. I guess you don’t need a disguise after all.”

The kid waves behind him on your way out at the studio, calling out a “thank you” to the gods. You wonder how you’re going to explain this to Linda, but you don’t feel anything less than relieved that your misadventures in the old studio have come to their

End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	131. Chapter 131

You cannot afford to think about that right now because ink is seeping into the room. As you look around for a place to hide, Bendy throws the door open. He growls. His gaze is on Sammy.

Sammy backs away. "My lord! I apologize. I thought he had your favor more than I!"

Bendy rushes Sammy, and you...

[ ...call Bendy out on his behavior as Sammy's "god."](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40832729)  
[...take Sammy's place as you tell him to run.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43352183)  
[...leave while you have the chance.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40832969)


	132. Chapter 132

“Whose dream came true?” You lean against one of the chairs. “I don’t think anyone dreamed of being trapped in the studio, and not even Joey got what he wanted – he’s living alone and broke now. This is more like revenge.”

The projector clicks off.

“The studio logo, right?” Sammy asks. “I can’t say anyone’s has yet. Bendy still needs us to help him reach his dream.”

You look at him. “His dream?”

“He’s a cartoon, isn’t he? He must want to be a star once again. And so, I still sing them, his old songs.” He points a finger at you. “But you, I can’t figure out why he’s brought you here.”

Your fingers curl. “He didn’t. Joey sent me here to fix his mistakes. Probably means freeing you lot. How sure are you that you’re here to help Bendy become a star?”

Sammy pauses. “He’s our Lord. He will set us free.”

You think…

[…you ought to make sure of what Bendy wants.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43369751)  
[…you can convince Sammy to let you go because Bendy didn’t bring you here.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43369673)  
[…you can make Bendy a star again, provided the demon behaves.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43369604)


	133. Chapter 133

The interview reaches a point where Joey is talking about the long-past release date. You glance at your tentative ally. “You’re looking forward to what, exactly? Just stepping foot outside the studio? So am I. We don’t need Bendy for that.”

“Heresy!”

You find an ax at your throat. You raise your hands. “Easy. I’m just trying to understand what you mean when you call him your savior.”

Sammy points a finger at the projection. “Human.” He points to you. “Human. It should have been obvious that you have Bendy’s favor, but you speak such heresy!” Then he strikes.

  


You respawn outside, but Sammy is prepared. He chases you through the halls. You sprint. You turn corners. And you knock a shrine over on your way.

He’s gaining on you. He’s not the only enemy around either.

You’re reaching the fork at an elevator.

You…

[…run into the hall where you see Bendy’s ink in hopes that the two will distract each other.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43370984)  
[…turn into the stairwell instead.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43371071)  
[…call the elevator.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43371146)


	134. Chapter 134

You walk through the streets, shoes squishing with ink. The lamp posts show repainted buildings and new businesses that have cropped up since you left.

When you reach your home, you're locked out. You have to ring the bell and wake Linda, but when she sees who you are, she wraps her arms around you and tears of joy leak onto your shoulder. "Henry, where have you been all this time?"

You tell her the whole story, and she forbids you from stepping foot near Joey Drew and his studio ever again. You plan to send help that way tomorrow, but for now, you take a shower, change into clean nightclothes, and spend your first night home in a very long time.

When you wake up, yellow and black meet your eyes, and ink is spreading quickly. You...

[...run to the nearest Little Miracle Station.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40832969)  
[...run to find Sammy.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40832969)  
[...apologize to Bendy.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40833074)


	135. Chapter 135

It's three miles to the police station, but you walk there in your squelching shoes anyway. Officers startle as you walk in, and you can only imagine how you look. You've been away from home for so long.

"He looks exactly the same as his missing person's photo," you hear.

Do you?

You step toward the officers. "Joey Drew's been holding me captive in his old studio. I just escaped, but there are others that are still trapped."

One of the officers, a man with thick black hair, frowns. "Joey Drew's been dead for months."

You blink. "Has he? That explains why he hasn't checked up on us recently." Sure, you resent the guy for what he's done, but you were friends once. You feel something numb inside you at the news.

He nods. "Right. You say he's got others trapped down there?"

"Yes. And there are corpses too. Many of them can't be identified. Joey did some strange things in that studio, and the structure isn't exactly stable either. People need help, but whoever's going down there has to be careful."

They take your testimony on the spot and dispatch a team to check out the studio. A week later, two white-faced officers turn up at your door. "Mr. and Mrs. Stein, there's something we need to show you."

You and Linda follow him to the station, where you see...

[...ink.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40833302)  
[...something large.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40833500)  
[...a woman in a lab suit.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40833572)


	136. Chapter 136

The priests scoff. Of course there would be demons in Joey Drew Studios – how many images of Bendy did the studio produce?

You need some way to convince them that there is a real ink demon in there, so you...

[...mention the pentagrams and tell them that as Bendy's original creator, you wouldn't get worked up about nothing.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40833734)  
[...point out the ink on your clothes.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40833797)  
[...return to the studio to get more solid proof.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40833848)


	137. Chapter 137

You're almost to the macabre throne when you hear Sammy shout. You sprint the remaining distance.

Bendy's beast form is barreling through the wall, but you're much closer. You place the reel in and start it playing.

One projector clicks on, and then another.

Bendy turns to look, his grip on the seeing tool loosening. He screams, but he lunges forward.

You step back, but he only grabs your wrist and presses the tool into your hand. He dissolves and you once more visit your old friend Joey.

When you reenter the studio, you're still holding the tool, and you suspect there's something Bendy wants you to see. If he's volunteering information, you might as well know what it is. You look...

[...on the boarded-up doorway where he first appeared.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40833983)  
[...in the conference room.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40834058)  
[...everywhere because you don't know where he'd hide a message.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43372562)


	138. Chapter 138

There’s no one there, just a rotting old studio, _not_ a cartoon.

You blink. Alright then. If you’d known getting out was so simple, you would have long ago.

You start climbing the stairs to the top. They fall under you. You land in something soft and black that smell like mold.

_Creak…._

The building isn’t structurally stable. For it and for you, turning off the Ink Machine means

The End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	139. Chapter 139

"As long as this stays powered off, its effects should start to fade. You'll be free." you tell him. You hope it's the truth because you otherwise have no clue how you're supposed to free anyone. Now, it's your turn. "Do you think you could show me the way out of here?"

"Out?" Sammy echoes. He clenches his fists. "But Henry, we're not free yet."

You meet his lack of eyes. "You will be."

"You lied to me!" He sucker-punches you, and down you go. He strides off, and you hear his voice echoing throughout the studio a moment later. "I have doubted you, oh Lord! You were right to punish me, for I was deceived by a false savior. Please, accept my repentance. He is not deserving of the chance he was given. Bendy, accept him as my offering! I summon you, Ink Demon!"

You hear Sammy's screams and start running the only way that can save you – away. You're unfamiliar with this section of the machine, and you take a chance by turning left.

You emerge somewhere you recognize – you’re much nearer Bendy's throne room than the exit. You'd have to pass through there to leave anyway.

With the demon approaching, you'd have to be lucky to even reach the reel in time. You press yourself harder, aiming for the reel.

### Test your luck by rolling this die:

[Open me in a new tab.](http://rolladie.net/#!numbers=1&sides=6&length=1&last_roll_only=false&totals_only=false&start=false)

[Click here if you rolled a 1 or a 2.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40834619)  
[Click here if you rolled a 3 or a 4.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43373330)  
[Click here if you rolled a 5 or a 6.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40834352)


	140. Chapter 140

Joey smiles. "He can explain it better than I can. This way."

You follow his chair. "He?"

"A certain artist." He's got a glint in his eyes that you saw in your own Joey's when he was younger.

He offers no more information as he rounds a corner, so you look at your hands again. You curl them. "Joey, am I a cartoon character?"

Glancing up, he says, "We're going to see your creator. He'll be able to tell you who he meant you to be and why you're here and all that. Do you want me to send the other Toons?" He stops in front of a door labeled _Office of HENRY STEIN._

You look at the sign. You look at Joey. You look back at the sign. "Yeah. I'd love to see the other Toons."

He nods and knocks on the door. "Henry! Did you forget you had a new Toon coming?"

There's a thud inside the office. "A new Toon?" Moments later, the door opens.

You know the face. It's more detailed, even without having the crows feet at your own eyes, but the face is yours. Or yours if you were as human as you used to believe. It blinks. "But that's me."

Joey puts a hand on your arm. "Is he another accident?"

You pull your arm away to wrap your arms around your chest. An accident? Is that all you are?

Henry pulls the door further. "Why don't you come in? I'll get you a drink."

You come inside and sit in a padded chair while he slips out of the room. While he's off, you look at the panel he was working on: your Joey Drew tugging strings on a marionette ink demon to where he wants them while looking into a crystal ball. In the crystal ball, you see the ink demon running after you.

The ink demon isn't in the same position though. He's more upright, as though he were tugging back against invisible strings. You place your hand on the page. "Oh, Bendy."

You gaze at the panel as a clock ticks by the seconds of your creator's absence. When he finally returns with a steaming cup, you take your hand off your demon. "What do you mean _accident?_ Are there other living Toons? Were you trying to bring someone else to life? What about Bendy, Sammy, and the others?"

Henry hands you the cup and puts a hand on your shoulder. "They're already alive. You were always alive, from the moment I drew any of you. Your being here in my world, that's the accident. Are you angry?"

You grunt and sip at your coffee.

"You want to know why I made you, don't you." Henry circles his desk and takes his seat.

You lean on your chair's arm and watch him over your cup's rim. "I get it. I'm something to entertain people with. I'm a cartoonist too."

He nods. "You're part of our _Alice Angel_ Halloween special. Joey thought it would be a kick to make an episode where our cartoon characters enter the real world, so to speak."

"Alice Angel?" You stare at your creator. "But she's not anywhere in my world. Not the real Alice. At least, I've only met Susie and Allison."

"You're right: she's not." Henry rests an arm on his desk. "She lives in this world as my daughter. She lives in my world. You can meet her if you like. You're welcome to stay in this world, or I can send you back to yours. I just want to make sure you're okay first."

You eye the sketch of Joey puppeteering Bendy. "You're not doing that to me, are you?"

Henry chuckles. "Do you know how many times we've had to push back the release of this episode because you rewrote it for us? Your episode was supposed to be the special two years ago. You keep exploring new paths, talking to people you're not supposed to meet, and you even created a new character within your own reality. You've got too much of me in you."

Raising a brow, you ask, "I created someone?"

"Bendy. Gotta say, Joey and I are pleased with the results. A demon for a Halloween special?"

Your eyes stray to the paper.

Henry gets up. "You can't wait to get back to him. I can't say I blame you. I'd feel the same way if it were my Alice."

As he's escorting you back to the ink machine you sprang from, you notice his eyes on you. "What is it?"

"You're really okay with this, aren't you? Being a cartoon character."

You shrug. "Maybe it will feel real in the morning. Or maybe I'm just so sick of my Joey Drew Studios that it's a relief to know it's not real."

Henry's working quietly at the machine's controls.

"Can I ask you a question?"

He nods.

"Am I going to get out of the studio alive and human at the end of your special?"

Henry finishes up whatever he's doing with the machine and meets your eyes. "We don't know. You and your Joey are the ones writing the episode at this point. Maybe Bendy too. He's certainly fighting Joey for control of himself. I can send you where in your world you want. Just choose carefully - all this time working on your episode, and I'm still not sure who's good or evil."

You want to...

[...confront Joey.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43392140)  
[...find Bendy.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43392200)  
[...treat this whole experience like a dream.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43392239)


	141. Chapter 141

"-should be on his way here. I asked an intern to call him up even though he's meeting a client down on the first floor."

Bendy tugs on your shirt. "I saw them start the process of creating you a year ago, and I just saw my creator yesterday. You're a Toon version of him they put a lot of thought into, not my creator himself."

You rejoin Bendy on the chair and pull him into your arms. He cuddles into your chest. You inhale and look at Joey. "Why would you two do such a thing as bring us Toons to your world? Especially when one of us looks like one of you."

"Because you're my Henry!" Bendy wraps his arms around you.

Joey looks at the Toon in your lap. "Are you okay with being here for this part, kiddo? We can have you wait outside and call you back in."

He extracts himself from your chest. "I know I'm an accident. Hearing you say it's not going to make any difference."

You rub the spot between Bendy's horns and nod to Joey.

"Henry Stein was born with magic," he says. "He didn't know about it until the day his favorite original character started moving on his own. We'd just started the studio at the time."

You glance at Bendy and back at Joey. He nods.

Bendy looks up at you. "I didn't live in a separate world like you did. I lived on a piece of paper. I hated it."

"Henry's always been protective of Bendy, and he was scared that people would harm him if they found the little guy. He hid him from everyone else for a while. But one day, I went to check on him when he'd overworked himself and fallen asleep at his desk, and I found Bendy there, moving around on his own.."

"Sounds like something I'd do."

"You are me," comes a voice from the doorway. "Just aged up and adapted to be a Toon."

Bendy hops up and runs toward the door. You get to your own feet.

Henry Stein is rubbing Bendy's horns. "Hey, buddy. What do you think?"

"You were right! And he's so you there's no way he's gonna say no!"

He pats his head. "I hope not. Joey programmed the machine to create someone like me, but he's his own person. The question is, if he agrees, can you live with him the rest of your life?"

Bendy sniffs and leans into Henry. "Uh-huh."

It feels as though you're intruding.

You redirect your attention to Joey and lean closer to his ear. "What's that machine out there really?"

"It helps Henry regulate his magic to reduce the number of accidents."

A fist bumps your back. Henry Stein is at your side, holding Bendy in one arm. "Believe me, you're no accident."

"Yeah, I thought as much." You smile at your counterpart.

He smiles back. "It's good to see you. How are you holding up?"

"It's going to take time to absorb all this, but I'll be fine." You meet your counterpart's blue eyes. "I understand how much Bendy means to you. If he'd come to life on me when I first created him, I'd be worried."

Henry nods.

You continue. "I remember growing older, but you created me this old, didn't you? Cartoons can't age on our own, and Bendy's just a child. That's why you need someone who can love and care for him forever."

"Are you willing?" Henry puts a hand on your shoulder. "Bendy's stuck in this world, but there's a grace period when we can return you to yours. We've got time to get someone else."

Bendy reaches for you. "Please stay here?"

You rub the back of the demon's head. "Just one question: is there a Linda in my world?"

Henry's eyes widen. "Is there? If there is, the machine won't send her out: I never drew her. I never meant to make you choose between her and Bendy. I can send you back any time today."

With that in mind, you choose...

[...to stay with Bendy.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41442704)  
[...to go home to your wife.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41414192)  
[...to check if there is a Linda in your world before committing to a course of action.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43402526)


	142. Chapter 142

You slug him in the face.

He spits out a bloody tooth. "Henry!"

"I'm not going to let you magic or manipulate another person." You grab him by the collar. "I can't believe I ever called you a friend."

You barely notice the door clicking open behind you.

"Henry, help!" Joey calls over your shoulder.

"No!"

A rough hand wraps around your neck. "Put him down."

You drop Joey before you're dragged backward. You stop by the ink machine. You struggle, but you can't break free.

You glimpse Bendy standing a few feet away, hands over his mouth, eyes wide. "Run!"

He doesn't.

"I'm sorry about this," says your captor, "but we can't allow a Toon so violent to run around our world freely. Back to your own. We'll ask some other Toon to be Bendy's permanent guardian."

As you're shoved into a large drop-box, you see your captor's face: it's the real Henry Stein.

His face is obscured when you enter the ink tunnel. When you emerge, you're back in the version of the studio you've been looping through. You're upstairs in the break room with a hammer, some boards, and a box of nails.

"Hello?" a voice calls through the near-silence. It's Joey's. "Henry, I got your stupid letter. Why the heck did you invite me back here? Are you still convinced that Bendy started moving on his own, or did you just want me to see how badly a studio falls apart when left with a madman to run it?"

"I'm in here!" You climb the stairs, but the door at the top is locked.

Joey bangs on the other side. "Henry, if you want to talk, then open the door!"

"It doesn't lock from this side! Let me out!"

You hear Joey grumbling about you making every lock in this place a puzzle. You catch something about the ink machine.

"Don't turn it on!"

There's no response from Joey, but after several minutes of your trying the door, it opens. You run and find Joey gaping at the machine. He glances over. "What were you doing, old friend?"

You shrug. "Joey, listen. I know I'm a... a madman, but there's something I need to tell you. Some day, I think you'll encounter it for yourself."

He rolls his eyes, but he sticks around.

"You and I have counterparts in another world. You _cannot_ hurt them. They're just looking for someone to help Bendy. The real Bendy. Not the Ink Demon. If you ever make it there, I need you to be that someone. And if," you pause to shake your head, "no, when you make it, I need you to ask them if the rest of us really have to live in this hell. Can't they create a better world for us?"

Joey crosses his arms. "If I ever encounter that, I promise you'll be waking up the next morning perfectly sane, and you'll have the family you always wanted. But until that happens, let me get you some help."

You agree. You even allow Joey to attempt to take you to a mental institution, but the front door is just as locked as it's always been while you were the one "invited" to the studio. You stick by Joey's side as he encounters the Ink Demon for the first time, endures the studio, and crashes with the elevator.

In Boris's absence, you're the one Susie turns into a monster. You can't really control yourself, but you still do everything you can to hold back against Joey.

Sometimes you kill him. Sometimes he kills you. You're there for him every loop until the day when he swears to Sammy that he'll do anything for his employees, gets killed by the Ink Demon, and doesn't return.

You wake up the next morning on a soft mattress, a sleeping Linda by your side, and sunlight streaming in through an open window. Smiling, you settle in for an existence that might not have an

End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	143. Chapter 143

Your fists curl and you see red, but it's difficult to spring into action with Bendy on your chest.

Bendy is tugging at your shirt. "Henry! Henry! Stop!"

He only stops when you give him your attention. "Bendy," you say, "you and I are victims of his experiments. He's been playing with life, and that's wrong!"

Bendy takes a breath. "HE DIDN'T DO NOTHIN' TO US!"

You look at Bendy, but your breaths are still shallow and your fists are still curled. "We're cartoons."

"And we always were!" The little demon puts his hands to your chest. "What he meant about turning you into a cartoon was that you're based on a real person - my creator, Henry Stein - but you're not him. Joey ran you through the ink machine at my creator's request."

You take a few deep breaths and think about what your little devil just said. You set him on the couch and ask, "If I'm not him, then why isn't he here helping explain this to me?"

Bendy shrugs.

Behind you, Joey speaks up. "Henry Stein-"

You...

[...beat him up for manipulating you and Bendy.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41407784)  
[...let him finish.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41411408)


	144. Chapter 144

Joey takes you through a door labeled as his office, sits you in a comfy armchair, and gets you some canned coffee.

"This is the real world, Henry." Joey waits for you to swallow your drink before he adds, "You've never been here."

"What?" You stare at him.

He offers you a smile. "So welcome to reality, old friend."

You sit up a bit straighter. "You turned me into a cartoon, didn't you? That's different than me never having been here before. I remember creating Bendy. I remember the studio I did it in. And this isn't remotely it."

"You're right. You should remember creating Bendy, and this shouldn't be the studio you remember doing it in." Joey sets a hand on the table. "And yes, you were turned into a cartoon, but please hear me out."

[Click here if you've got a friend with you.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41406374)  
[Click here if you're alone in the room with Joey.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41407784)


	145. Chapter 145

Glaring at Joey, you add, "This friend better not be in any danger because of you."

"He's not." Joey leads you inside an elevator.

The buttons in this one start with a P, then a starred 1, and then up numerically to 4. The numbered floors all have labels too: business and administration, art and writing, HR and miscellanious, and music and recording.

You stare at the much-more normal floor divisions as Joey presses the button for the second floor.

"Everyone will be delighted to see you," Joey says. "Very relieved too."

It's not a long elevator ride, and the doors ding open in no time at all. Joey leads you into the art department, where Bendy - small, on-model Bendy - is looking over some papers. He sets them down, shouting, "I vote for number three, four-eyes!"

A young woman scowls and scribbles something on a clipboard before she takes the papers from Bendy.

"Now Bendy," says Joey. "What have we told you about being nice to the interns?"

Bendy looks over. When his eyes land on you, he grins and zips across the room with a high whistling sound. "Henry! You're here! Finally!" He squeezes your legs, even as he looks up. "You are my Henry, aren't you?"

The young woman strides off, and slowly, animators come out of cubicles to get a good look at you. Several smile, introduce themselves, and shake your hand.

When you look over, Joey is handing off the scripts to a pimply-faced young man and saying something about overtime pay and holiday bonuses. You look down at Bendy instead. "What do you mean, your Henry?"

Bendy releases your legs. "Joey didn't tell you?"

"Bendy," Joey leans over and touches the toon's arm. "Henry could use some emotional support. It's not going to be easy for him to hear because he's as close to the original as we could get without him being the original. Why don't you come somewhere private with us so we can tell him?"

He nods. Without further warning, he climbs up your clothes and buries his head next to your ear. "You've got me."

Joey leads you back to the elevator, where he presses the third floor button. You're in the same spot you emerged, where you pass an ink machine and a status light: _FINISHED. LOADING NEW INSTANCE._

[As you pass it, Joey says, "Who you are, the whole story, same thing really."](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41405696)


	146. Chapter 146

Next you know, two very short humans are gaping up at you. "I can't believe that actually worked," rasps one.

You recognize the voice. It's Thomas Connor. He's fine. He's alive. He's not a Boris clone. He's....

Twenty years younger?

"I don't know," says the other.

Wally! That's Wally!

You grin at them. They shudder back.

"I can barely recognize that that _thing_ is supposed to be Bendy!" Wally snaps. "And there's ink all over. _Again._ I'm the one who's gonna have to clean that up!"

"It was a first attempt." Tom writes something down. "And I never said I agree with Drew making these... unnatural things. I can't believe his tinkering with the ink machine brought the figure to life this time."

Ink machine? First attempt? Oh no....

You look at your hands. Sure enough, they're the hands of the Ink Demon's beast form before there were holes put into them.

You run to Tom's office to hide, but you already know what fate you'll meet with

"The End" 

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	147. Chapter 147

As you reach the door, you hear the demon chuckle behind you. "You can't see the light - you must be a terrible sinner - but you want to escape so badly. You're just like me. Fine. I'll allow it. Prepare for a shock."

[You don't know what he's talking about until you go through the door.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41106794)


	148. Chapter 148

“Alright. How do we get you your soul back?”

Joey’s face falls. “I don’t know. Henry offered me his hand and promised me we could still be friends, forever, and I shook on it without thinking.”

You frown, running your hand through your hair. “We’ll think of something. What have you tried?”

“Reasoning with him. Asking for a jury. Annoying him to the point that he usually leaves me alone.”

Silence covers the hall as the two of you think. Finally, you get the idea to…

[…make a bet with your counterpart.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43079417)  
[…make a deal with your counterpart.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43451435)  
[…get another demon to look for loopholes in the contract.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43451486)


	149. Chapter 149

You cross your arms. “I’m sorry, Joey, but I’m not facing down a demon for someone I don’t know if I can trust.”

He tries to plead with you, but you walk away.

You search this studio, finding old recordings and collapsed stairwells. Several hours later, Joey finds you and grabs your collar, freezing knuckles brushing the back of your neck.

“Hey! Let me go.” You squirm, but you only get lifted off the floor and pulled through a wall.

“I told you I’m a slave. I don’t really want to take you to the demon, but I don’t have a choice.” Joey’s hand trembles against your skin, but he still drags you up several floors and delivers you to your

End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	150. Chapter 150

Joey may not be able to use magic against his master, but he is able to lead you to a stash of useful weapons: a scythe, an ax, and even a tommy gun. You pick up the ax and the tommy gun and track down the demon. The tommy gun you stash behind a barrel, but the ax you take as you approach the horned creature.

He catches sight of you and scowls.

You meet his eyes. “You remember me beating you, don’t you? I have no doubt you’re more prepared for me this time.”

“I was going to offer you help home.” He takes a step toward you. “Now I’m just going to eat you.”

Your arms break out in goosebumps, still you just tighten your grip on the ax. “Help home? Joey hinted that you’re the reason I’m here in the first place. I came to make a bet with you – if I can beat you in a fight, you release Joey from your deal with him and the both of us will get out of your hair. If you beat me, you can eat me or whatever.”

“Fine. You have some nerve, mortal.”

He rushes you. You step to the side and graze his cheek with your ax.

He turns. He growls. He crushes your arm.

You keep fighting, allowing him to back you toward the barrel until you can reach the tommy gun. You take it and nail him in the chest.

Gasping, he hits the ground. “Not… fair…”

“Fair? I never said I’d fight fair.” You cross your arms. “Deal’s a deal: let Joey go.”

“He’s free.” The demon lunges for your foot. “But if I have to die, I’m taking you with me.”

His claws never make contact. Instead, a freezing hand takes your arm and you find yourself down in the darkest, wettest parts of a Joey Drew Studios.

Joey is with you, laughing. “You did it!”

“Yeah, and you came through for me too!” You give out a few chuckles as well. “There have been a few times I almost gave up hope of getting out of here.”

Your ghostly friend gazes at a plain wall, eyes wide and lips moving up. He pulls his gaze away. “Let’s take care of your demon.”

You lead the way to the very bottom. Every so often, Joey looks back at the wall, but his expression is slowly shifting into a more worried one. Just past the film vault, he does it again, and he stays looking at the wall this time.

“Is something wrong?” You take a step closer to him.

He shakes his head. “No, we just need to get rid of the demon quickly.”

You cross your arms.

“Fine! I see the light, okay? It’s fading. I don’t know how much time I have before I’m stuck here.”

You relax. “I’m glad it’s not anything after us. You should go. I can keep looking for a way to deal with Bendy because at least I have my soul.”

“Are you sure? You told me you’ve been trapped.”

You nod.

Joey smiles. “Thank you. It might not be much, but I noticed something upstairs. I hope it can help you in my place.”

He snaps his fingers and a cardboard cut-out appears. He smiles at it. “Hey, buddy. You know who Henry is, right? I want you to help him out for me.”

The cut-out moves next to you.

Joey tells you goodbye and is gone.

You rub at the cut-out’s horn. It’s not a particularly strong ally, but maybe it could keep a lookout for the Ink Demon.

The two of you approach the ink machine, and you carry the cut-out across the ink. But rather than keep a lookout, it huddles against you.

Bending to meet its eyes, you ask, “Are you scared, buddy?”

It presses itself to your shoulder, so you look around for anything that might be spooking it. You notice…

[…the forming Lost Ones staring at you.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40840622)  
[…the chains that once confined the Ink Demon.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40854494)  
[…a reel of “Tombstone Picnic” projecting the skeleton that once scared Bendy.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40854086)


	151. Chapter 151

You close your eyes. “You sealed him in here?”

“Yeah.”

“Are people safe from him? He can’t leave? He can’t influence the outside? He can’t _pull innocents here from other dimensions?_ ”

The temperature drops another degree. “What do you want?”

When you open your eyes, Joey’s nose is an inch from yours. You shudder. “Don’t do that!”

He backs off. “I’m doing my best here! What more do you want from me?”

“A solution. Even if you sent me back home, I’ve been trapped in my version of the studio with a soulless cartoon demon.” You offer him your hand. “I don’t just help you get your soul back, I help you defeat your demon, and you send me home and help me to defeat mine. Deal?”

[Smiling, he places an icy hand in yours. “Deal. You can start by challenging him for my soul. He’s forbidden me from using my magic, but if you win, that will be null and void. We can use that against the demons.”](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43079417)


	152. Chapter 152

You’re enveloped in a bright white light.

_Yes,_ you hear, _we will give you another chance at life._

[You’re dimly aware of entering some ink. You drop out of the ink machine. You live a life, but it’s a blur. In fact, all you can remember right now is that your name is Bendy, and you need to turn on the ink machine in the other room.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41503115)


	153. Chapter 153

If you’ve done this all before, you know where he’ll be again eventually. First, you drain the top floor of ink. Then you hunt around until you find the special ink for the Seeing Tool and take that to the top floor. There, you write on the boards that block the doorway to the ink machine: _DON’T BE AFRAID._

You follow Henry around for the rest of the loop in hopes you can get through to him a little sooner. You save his bacon on multiple occasions, but he keeps running and hiding until he plays "The End."

This time, you don’t fight him as hard as you normally do – you’re focused on trying to remember who he is and what you’ve done.

Everything goes bright. Way too bright. It burns your eyes and your ink.

You wake up where it’s cold and dark. Ink clings to your whole self, but hope bubbles within your chest. You can just remember – your Creator, Henry Stein, is here.

Pushing yourself out of your slimy chair, you keep your eyes and ears peeled for him. What you hear is the chains that support the lesser ink machine creaking. Henry must be up there! You run and grab the chains, not caring that you slip and bump against everything.

Your attempts to climb up are fruitless, so you teleport yourself up floor by floor instead. When you reach the room where sunlight streams into the studio, you hear footprints approaching. You open a portal and run to the balcony.

Its doorway is boarded up, but even between the dark hall and the ink dripping over your face, you can see that the man on the other side is human. You reach behind his head and rest your fingers in his soft hair. You press your cold forehead to his warm one.

He rests his hand on your arm.

No one’s ever made you feel so loved.

A strangled sob escapes your throat and he presses the hand against your ink. “Bendy?”

You can hear the pipes groaning, about to give way. You teleport through the boards and lead Henry away to the pump switch that drains this floor.

He watches the ink levels lower with wide eyes and a bigger grin. “So that’s how to get out of here safely! I wish I’d had a key to this door. But then again,” he turns his smile at you, “I wouldn’t have my oldest son with me if I did. What do you say we find Boris and all go home together?”

Is he serious?

You peer at his eyes. They’re warm and shining. He’s serious.

You give him a hug to thank him for bringing your years of misery to

The End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	154. Chapter 154

When he enters the cavern, he immediately uses the Seeing Tool to check the coffin. His hand trembles as he checks the rest of the room.

He stares at the message you left to reassure him. “Anyone nearby? There are a bunch of messages here I didn’t leave myself.”

That’s your cue to leave the puddle.

He stumbles back.

You point at the message.

“Did you write that?”

You nod.

He tenses. “What do you want with me? Did you kill me, Bendy?”

He’s dead? But he’s not in the ink!

A strangled sob escapes your throat. You lift your hands to your face to catch the excessive ink.

A cold hand pries one away from your face. A second one strokes your cheek. “Alright. Sorry I suggested that. Joey’s the one who wanted me dead.”

His touch is cold, but so is your ink. You’re able to relax into his arms.

He wipes the ink that’s always dripping above your eyes. He freezes the moment he does. “Oh, buddy. Is this what you were going to show me?”

You don’t know what he’s talking about. It’s just your eye under there. You can see him more clearly than ever – thinning hair, a strong nose, and a pearly body. Henry.

“Maybe not. Can you show me?”

You take him through the ink machine to get to administration. On your way, you pass a hallway lined with one-sided mirrors. You…

[…stop to look at what he saw under your ink.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43472051)  
[…keep going.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43471799)


	155. Chapter 155

You hide in the puddles and around the corners. You almost get too close sometimes – he looks at your ink trails and follows them toward your hiding spot. Each time, you immediately pull your ink into a puddle.

[But he is following the trail, so you go and wait for him in the cavern. You go below the message you left him and take the form of a puddle.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43144091)


	156. Chapter 156

[There, you sit below the message you left him and melt into a puddle.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43144091)


	157. Chapter 157

He runs. He refuses to follow the trail, instead stumbling lower and lower in the studio until he plays “The End.”

You wake up where it's cold and dark. Ink clings to your whole self, but the worst parts lurk in the back of your mind - the feelings that you've done all this before.

Joey Drew Studios. Curse Joey Drew! You're not sure how long you've been trapped in this forgotten place. You're not even sure what's real or not anymore.

[All you know is that you've got to start up the ink machine in the other room.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41503115)


	158. Chapter 158

You cradle his soul and take him to the ink machine. You place him in and wait for him to form.

He’s tall and skinny, with ink dripping down from where his mouth should be. His eyes start glowing.

You open the glass to let him out, but you do so too soon – he melts into a Searcher the moment you let him out. He plops to the floor and drops into a puddle.

He’s okay. Sort of. He’s stable enough, and he seems to know who he is – at least as far as you can tell – but he hides quicker than the others whenever you’re around.

Whatever chance you had to get to know him has come to

The End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	159. Chapter 159

He slips through your fingers and vanishes before your eyes.

Moments later, you hear a _plop_ around the corner. When you go to investigate, it’s him – alive and human!

You run to embrace him, but he runs away, and he keeps running whenever you see him until he reaches your lair and plops in “The End.”

[Everything burns, and you wake up where it’s cold and dark. All you can remember is that you’ve got to start up the ink machine in the other room.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41503115)


	160. Chapter 160

You place the interview in your personal projector and start it playing.

Henry’s ball rolls over your foot. You pick it up and point the new demon at the screen.

He freezes. Then he approaches the wall, step by step, coming to a stop in front of himself.

When he turns around, you’re right behind him. You bend down, gathering a large glob from your ink trails. _IT WAS AN ACCIDENT. SAMMY WAS GOING TO KILL YOU._

He shakes his head and backs away.

You sink to your knees and bury your face in your hands. Moments later, a cold glove is rested on your shoulder.

You look up. Henry’s manipulated his ink to become a cartoon version of himself. “He wasn’t going to kill me. I kept reviving before, but you put me into the ink machine, didn’t you?”

All you can do is avert your gaze.

“Why did I come out looking like you? Why did you give me these powers? I can manipulate the ink, and I can hear _everything._ ”

You squeeze his hand, wishing you could communicate with him better.

“I guess I can’t expect many answers from someone who can’t speak. Let’s see if I can’t do anything about that.”

His hand is suddenly hot on your shoulder. You hiss and twist, but your ink is already melting away. It’s over in five seconds, leaving you small with well-formed limbs and a straight bow tie. You pat your face. You think you’re on-model.

Your jaw drops. You look up to say something at your Creator, but no sound comes out.

“What was that?”

You get to your feet and wrap yourself around his legs.

He pats your head. “I guess we’ve been stuck in the cycle long enough. We better make the best of things now. Can you get me that ball over there? I need its ink.”

You watch as Henry takes the ball and reshapes it into a phone, which he uses to speak to someone about selling his car and buying the studio. It turns out to be his wife, still human herself.

Over time, he repairs the studio and heals its inhabitants, but you notice the tears in his eyes as he watches his wife and children grow old and meet their

Ends

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	161. Chapter 161

As you watch him play, you promise yourself that you will always love him. And you promise yourself that you will always protect him, especially until his memory returns.

It never does.

You love having him around, but sometimes you wonder if putting him in the ink was the right choice in the

End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	162. Chapter 162

You take him to the ink machine. You place him in and wait for him to form.

He’s short and round. He comes out with a white face, clean gloves, and two horns.

He looks like you would if you were on model.

When the process finishes, he’s asleep. You take him in your arms and walk to your throne. You hold in your lap, stroking his horns until he wakes up.

He grins up at you and cuddles into your chest. Squeak!

Henry holds his hand above an ink puddle, and it rises toward him, forming itself into a large white ball with black stars and dots. He chases it around the room, acting like a toddler.

[Click here if you have an interview in your lair.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43149251)  
[Click here if you do not have an interview in your lair.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43149323)


	163. Chapter 163

He takes it by the handle. “Where did you find this?”

You can’t answer.

He looks around and leads you down. Out of the lift. Through the archives. Down some stairs.

He points at a hallway at his chin-level. “I’ve never been able to reach that door. It may be a way to get outside help or a place that hides another clue. Think we can get up there?”

Sammy shakes his head. “How do we know you won’t abandon us again if it goes outside?”

You whine.

Henry puts a hand on your back and glares at Sammy’s mask. “I did not abandon you. You could have left too. But Bendy,” he pats your back, “I had no way of knowing he’d ever come alive. Now that he is, that makes him my son. There’s no way I’m leaving him behind. If that door leads out, you’re coming with me.”

“Blasphemy!”

You growl at Sammy. He goes quiet.

You lift Henry, your _dad,_ to the hall, where he climbs up and turns to help you and Sammy. The three of you venture through the door, which leads to a cave-in of boards and ink.

Your dad looks around through the Seeing Tool. He frowns at a wall. “I didn’t leave that.”

You stand behind him to squint through the frame yourself, but he hands the tool to you instead. “Do you know what this is?”

On the wall is a golden pentagram, not the type with your head shape, but a pentagram with alchemy symbols, and in the center…

[](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Squaredcircle.svg) […](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43486670).  
[…χξϛ͵.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43486772)  
[…a dark spot of a color you’ve never seen before.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43486835)


	164. Chapter 164

Back in Joey’s office, Henry instructs Sammy to help look for a strong thin piece of metal.

Sammy retrieves a cleaning rod from woodwind storage, which Henry uses to pry at the lever stump and finally turn the soul-catcher off.

When you and Henry return from the controls, there is nothing left of the musician but a heap of ink-soaked clothes and the message _HE HAS_ _SET US FREE._

Henry looks at the puddle for a moment. He keeps his eyes there as he asks, “You still with me, Bendy?”

You tap his shoulder.

He looks at you. “Was Sammy dead?”

You nod.

Tucking his hands in his pockets, he asks, “And have all the dead moved on now?”

You shrug.

“Are you ready to go?”

You…

[…nod.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43518230)  
[…whine, looking back toward the controls.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43518332)


	165. Chapter 165

After all, he isn’t looking particularly well, now that he’s so near the source of the studio’s black magic. He’s just a soul, and he’s looking paler and paler.

You whine, and poke him in the chest again.

This time, his knees give out, and you catch him.

He clings to you. “Okay, Bendy. You know this machine better than I do. If you have an idea of what to do, I’ll trust you.”

You lead him to an administrative office, where you write to him that getting him a stronger form might let him help get others to move on as well.

True to his word, he trusts you. You get him the body of a Lost One, but the moment you two are separated, he runs into Sammy, who recognizes him only as a "heretic."

[You hear the commotion, but by the time you get there, Henry's ink has melted, and Sammy is hacking at his unconscious spirit. The man realizes his mistake when you growl, but you need to get your creator another body, stat.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43149356)


	166. Chapter 166

“It will be alright, buddy. Come on.” He leads you back through Joey’s office. “All we need is something long and sturdy to work under the remnants of the lever. Maybe maintenance would have something, or maybe music.”

You nod and gesture for your creator to wait there. Then you track down your so-called prophet and mime your request to him.

[He doesn’t understand, so you take him to Henry.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43297967)


	167. Chapter 167

You tap your own chest.

“We can’t stay here forever. I’ll be with you when we go.” He points to the broken lever. “Think we can find something to work with this?”

How many times have you tried to turn it off and set all the trapped souls free since you escaped your bonds? No, they’re trapped here with you, and still you’re alone.

But with Henry here, maybe you could…

[…use the ink machine to give him a body.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43298489)  
[…let him show you what to look for to repair the machine.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43298726)


	168. Chapter 168

You whine and poke your creator’s chest.

He pats your shoulder. “Worried?”

[Click here if you looked under your dripping ink.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43298012)  
[Click here if you did not.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43298726)


	169. Chapter 169

“I suppose not.” He runs a hand through his hair. “I guess the real problem is that it’s not possible to leave this place. I have, plenty of times, but every time I end up directly in Joey’s apartment, and he sends me straight back here. Maybe you could help us face off against him?”

You nod. You follow him and Sammy through one of the exits, but instead of being able to do anything against the corrupt studio owner, he curses you.

Once again, you wake up in the ink machine, but this time, your actions aren’t your own. Your limbs move of their own accord to ascend to the ground floor and grab out at your creator.

You’re not the only one either. Sammy may have gone crazy in this place, but not enough to sacrifice a former coworker to you.

You’re forced to kill Sammy and hunt Henry through the halls as punishment for what Joey perceives as sins.

You cling to the hope that Henry is free and understands why you keep killing him. Sometimes, you can see him watching you from inside the Little Miracle Stations, and you catch a wetness in his eyes when he plays that tape that asks him to kill you. The hope is the only thing you have left in

The End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	170. Chapter 170

You hunt around for his special ink and use it to label his coffin. Now you need something to lure his spirit back in here.

It’s a bit of a long shot, but you take Wally’s keys from the trash in Sammy’s office and hide them in the pentagram room instead. You leave the Seeing Tool where someone would trip over it.

You spy on Henry long enough to see that your plan is going to work, and then you hide behind one of the pentagram room’s walls.

When Henry enters the room again, he trips over the Seeing Tool. “What’s this doing here?”

He takes it by the handle, but he’s still looking at the bit of floor you left it on. He rubs a finger against something. “Hello? Is someone down here? I know you’re injured.”

Behind the wall, you curl your hand around one of the smaller pipes. How much longer can you watch this?

Finally, your creator stands up and starts examining the room with the Seeing Tool.

He pauses on Grant’s and Norman’s names. He makes a funny sound on seeing his own and hurries over to pry the lid open.

You step out from the wall.

He spins around. His eyes dart between your hand and something in his coffin.

You squint at it, but you only see a corpse shape from behind all the ink. You step closer.

He steps away. “Bendy? Why are you doing this?”

You point a finger to his corpse.

He presses his back to the wall. “Are you- Are you trying to _set me free?_ Well, it’s not working.”

It never has, but you’ve got to keep trying.

You reach for his throat.

He swipes at your face, wiping ink from your face. For a moment, you can see his washed-out eyes widen. The next moment, he is falling to the dark puddles at your hand.

But now you have to know – what did he see? How badly is your face off-model?

You limp to the nearest bathroom and lean toward the mirror.

The door squeaks.

Henry is peering around the frame at you. “Don’t mind me. You need to see it.”

He’s back already? Is there no rest for him?

Your smile is quivering when you turn back to the mirror. You force yourself to breathe deeper. Leaning closer, you wipe the ink from your face.

Underneath, your eyes have been replaced by two crosses. You stumble back.

Henry walks in. “We’re both too involved with this cursed studio. I don’t think either of us can move on, or set anyone else free either.”

You’re rubbing at your eyes, as though that could bring back the pie-shapes of a living Toon.

“I’m sorry it had to be this way.” He kneels in front of you and offers you a hand. “Can we bring hostilities to

The End?”

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	171. Chapter 171

It takes a while to find the special ink you need.

You reach the ink machine in time to see Henry already in there, holding something in his hands. He glances over the moment you walk in. “Goodbye, Bendy.”

When he plays the reel this time, you don’t recover from

“The End.”

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	172. Chapter 172

[You stay there for several minutes, but nothing happens. Instead, you try to get more on-model.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42222716)


	173. Chapter 173

You hear whispering. Something about an alternate dimension.

Everything goes black. When you wake up, you’re in a small fleshy body whose parents are cooing at you.

Henry, they call you. Henry Stein.

You quickly forget you were ever Bendy, but your original appearance stays somewhere in your subconscious. It comes out several years later, when you’re starting an animation studio with your friend Joey.

Unfortunately, the life of a studio co-founder is not for you. You quit within a year or two.

It’s thirty years until you return to Joey Drew Studios.

There, you wake up where it’s cold and dark. Ink clings to your whole self, but the worst parts lurk in the back of your mind: the feelings that you've done all this before.

Joey Drew Studios. Curse Joey Drew! You're not sure how long you've been trapped in this forgotten place. You're not even sure what's real or not anymore.

[All you know is that you were invited here by your old friend.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40832183)


	174. Chapter 174

You shrink. Your spine cracks and pops. You grow a fifth digit on your odd hand.

When the process stops, you look yourself over and gasp: where you were covered in ink, you now have black clothing; where your proportions mismatched, they are near-perfect; and where you were black-and-yellow, you have a pinkish color.

Or, almost.

You were the Ink Demon before, but now you’re a human boy. “He will _love_ me like this! Thank you.”

Now that you’re human, you…

[…search the studio.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43566737)  
[…wait here to be found.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43566839)  
[…leave the studio to get help.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43566866)


	175. Chapter 175

You walk him to the ink machine’s controls and turn off the generator. Without it running, all the ink in this place will remain stagnant rather than reforming for the fallen.

Then you snap his neck. He is trapped forever in the dark puddles.

Over the years, the other ink creatures pick each other off one by one. You are left alone in

The End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	176. Chapter 176

The easiest way to do that is to put him in a less mobile shape. You carry him around the studio, looking for ideas.

You frighten an Alice and a Boris out of a safe house a few floors above your own, and you get the idea there: they left behind pet fish, limited to their tank. You go and lock your protesting creator inside one of the ink machine’s nooks before you can lose your nerve.

From some glass and some ink, you fashion Henry a tank, prepare the water, and carry it to where he’s forced to wait.

It takes more work to prepare the machine. You track down old sketches and reels of underwater episodes like “Floating Demon.” You hook them up. You choose which fish design Henry will take.

You let the machine perform its magic.

When Henry comes out, you catch him in your larger hand and wrap your fingers around him.

He flops and wriggles, but he’s not slippery enough yet to stand a chance of escaping. Good thing too. You’re not entirely sure he understands what you’ve done to him.

You slip him into the water and cry, dropping to your knees. Curling your fingers around the tank, you watch as he learns how to rise and fall. You watch as he learns how to move himself with his fins and tail.

After a while, you notice him watching you, as though accusing you of replacing his human life with that of a fish. All you can do is rest your head to the cool glass and let the ink drip.

You carry his tank to a safer spot inside the ink machine and silently vow to give him his mobility back once Joey’s life has reached its

End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	177. Chapter 177

You see Sammy staring down the studio’s latest visitor, yanking his ax head with his own. You aim the Little Miracle Station at the back of his head, and your aim strikes true.

Sammy goes down.

You walk further into the room, searching the human man over for injuries.

“I’m okay. Thank you.” He steps up to you and places a hand on your elbow. “What do you say we get Boris and go home?”

You nod. You go with him, and your life in the studio comes to a happy

End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	178. Chapter 178

You see two dark shapes. You hear the _chink, chink_ of metal on metal. If this keeps up, someone’s going to get killed.

You throw the Little Miracle Station, but you can’t aim well with your poor eyesight. From the scream, you hit the wrong person.

Ignoring Sammy’s voice, you rush to the man’s side.

“Stay away from me.”

You bend down and reach for him anyway. His pulse is weak and his chest goes still against yours.

Cradling the corpse, you growl at Sammy. You carry his victim and rest him in an empty coffin.

To your surprise, you see him several hours later in your lair, setting “The End” in the projector and pushing play.

  


[You wake up where it’s cold and dark, and all you know is that you’ve got to start up the ink machine in the other room.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41503115)


	179. Chapter 179

There’s not much as far as traditional projectiles, but you’ve still got your super strength. You pick up a Little Miracle Station to throw as you step through the wall.

Your ink tips Alice off. She turns, sees you with the Little Miracle Station, and runs off.

With Boris safe now, you go to the other room.

[Click here if you got your eyesight back.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43337951)  
[Click here if you did not get your eyesight back.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43338023)


	180. Chapter 180

“Boris, get through the portal _now!_ ”

He looks and leaps through just before Alice completes her circuit.

The corrupted angel growls at you. “I was on the verge of a breakthrough! Bendy, it’s me. You wouldn’t hurt me, would you?”

You shove her at the elevator gate as you run past. You hear her screams as you run to save the other one distressed in your earshot.

Around the corner, Sammy is turning Henry’s name into a swear word. He has your creator backed into a wall.

You create a portal for Henry too, and you regroup with him and Boris.

You black out again, but when you wake up this time, you’re small enough to fit in Henry’s arms. He’s holding you on his warm lap.

Boris pads over and leans over you.

Henry strokes your horn. “How are you feeling?”

“Like a train wreck. What happened?”

Your friends exchange looks.

The room is adequately lit, but with all the ink over your eyes, you can’t read the frown on Henry’s face when he looks back at you. “What’s the last thing you remember?”

“Meeting up with you and Boris.”

Henry presses his hand to the side of your face. “When?”

“After I saved you guys from Alice and Sammy.”

You hear the next breath Henry releases. He pulls you to his chest. “Good. I don’t want you to have to remember the things Joey made you do. He’s been taking control over your body from time to time.”

“He what?”

Henry tightens his embrace. “It’s okay now. We figured out how he was doing it. We had to shrink you down to get rid of the thing he put in you, but you wanted to get back on model anyway, didn’t you?”

“Uh-huh.”

He sets you on the floor. “Listen, your body’s not fully restored, but I think it’s too dangerous for us to stay here now. We can try to finish once the monsters are gone, but for now, we’ve got to get out of this studio. Are you strong enough to walk?”

You are. You rely on Boris to help you navigate the tougher obstacles, but the three of you get out of the studio.

Henry takes you home and introduces you to his family. He sends the studio some help, and a few days later, he takes you back down to the ink machine.

Unfortunately, it’s lost its power with the monsters gone. Instead, Henry uses ink and acetone to restore what he can to you. You come out on model, but it wasn’t just the ink over your face responsible for your poor eyesight – it’s that some of the ink had come from a vital part of your inner eyes. And the ink is still leaking out.

Henry won’t fix your eyes because he’s afraid of making things worse.

You don’t mind that much. Eventually, you have to use a little white cane that Henry gets for you, but it’s having people who love you that means so much more to you than your vision in

The End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	181. Chapter 181

You growl in hopes that Boris will look at you, but he whimpers instead.

It’s Alice that responds to you. She presses a switch, and Boris melts inside the elevator. Smirking, she aims a device at you. “If it’s too strong for that perfect pup in there, it should work on you too, demon.”

She’s right. It burns.

Melting, burning, mocking laughter in your ears is how you meet your

End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	182. Chapter 182

You step out and glare at the corrupted Alice who is hooking wires up to the elevator. You’d attack her directly, but you don’t want to take the chance of running electricity through the metal cage with Boris inside.

Instead, you direct your ink to form a portal between Boris and a safer hallway.

The wolf is too busy cowering and covering his eyes to notice.

[Click here if your creator helped you get your voice back.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43338416)  
[Click here if he did not.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43338581)


	183. Chapter 183

As you approach what sounds like Sammy’s voice, you black out again.

When you wake up, there are bright lights in face, and your right eye is aching. You squeeze your eyes shut again, ignoring even hearing Joey Drew’s voice swearing something at “Hateful Henry.” You bring your hand toward your pained eye, but a warm hand catches your wrist.

“Hold on. The ink’s still drying. I don’t want you to hurt yourself.”

Henry helps you sit up. He puts your arm down and slips something papery over your head. “There, that should protect it while it heals.”

Shadow falls over your eyes, so you blink them open. One is covered, but you can see more clearly through your other one than you ever have in this strange 3D world, and you are met with an explosion of colors you’ve never seen before – some of them in Henry’s sparkling eyes. “How does the rest of you feel?” He tickles your perfectly on-model gloves, chest, and feet.

You grin. Squeak!

Henry wraps an arm around you. “Now Joey, is _all_ the dark magic gone?”

For the first time you’ve ever seen, Joey flinches. “I’m clean now. You’ve seen that Wally and the others are human again, but you’ve got to understand that Bendy, well, Bendy, he’s made out of dark magic.”

You stick your tongue out. Is that all anyone assumes about demons?

Henry pats your shoulder. “You know what I mean.”

“He’s demon enough that I was able to hold his ink together using his own magic. That other demon shouldn’t be possessing either of us again.”

You blink. Other demon? What other demon?

“Bendy, you’ll tell me if you ever feel strange, or ever lose a piece of your memory or anything, won’t you?” Henry asks.

You nod.

“Promise me?”

You don’t know what this is about, but Henry’s voice is heavy as the ink machine. Of course you make the promise. Smiling, your creator leads you away from Joey and to a happy

End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	184. Chapter 184

Boris takes you to a human man, covered in large splotches of ink and resting against a wall. You eye a broken ax at the man’s feet.

The wolf shoves you toward him.

You take a step back, but the man straightens up. “Bendy? Is that really you?”

You nod.

“Joey regrets all the things he did to you. He sent me to come get you. Knew I’d do a better job at taking care of you than he did.” He offers you his hand. “My name’s Henry. I’m the artist that designed you.”

This is Henry? He's older than you thought he'd be. But still, it's Henry.

The moment you take a step, he pulls you into his arms. “Glad to see you.”

You pull back to peer at his funny-colored eyes – two colors? Really? Now that’s just greedy.

His smile seems real enough.

Loosening his grip, he asks Boris, “Are you coming with us?”

Boris is half-way to the doorway, shaking his head.

“We’ll send an expert in to help you then.” Henry straightens up. He tells you stories about your new home as he takes you from the studio and to your happy

Ending

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	185. Chapter 185

Your ink floods the floor. Alice turns her head, but it takes her a moment to see you at your new height.

That’s all the time you need to rush to her knee and kick hard.

She slips to the floor.

Boris runs out of the elevator, pulling you along as he rushes through the hall.

[Click here if Henry and Boris helped you get your physique back.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43338725)  
[Click here if you did it on your own.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43338812)


	186. Chapter 186

The elevator falls on your head, slowly crushing the rest of your body into a puddle.

Your consciousness is surrounded by the pitch black, but your ears pick up the faintest whispers: _bravery… is worthy…_

Then your ink burns. You wake up to Boris crouching beside you. His eyes light up, and he crushes you in a hug.

“Good… to see you too.”

You can speak?

The moment Boris puts you down, you examine yourself: pudgy body, hose-like limbs, two pristine gloves. You meet your friend’s eyes. “Am I me?”

He nods.

You leap in the air and let out a shout. You grin at Boris. “Do you have a friend upstairs who’s in trouble?”

Yes, he does. You suggest you grab him and bail the studio.

The two of you follow through on that suggestion, and you get a surprise – Boris’s _friend_ is really Henry Stein! He acts like a kid when he meets you, all laughter and smiles and wonder. Together, the three of you go to his house, putting your time in the studio to an

End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	187. Chapter 187

The elevator falls on your head, slowly crushing the rest of your body into a puddle.

Unfortunately for you, you cannot be reborn without

“The End”

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	188. Chapter 188

You move. She turns and spots you immediately.

She backs into the switch box, and the elevator plummets. You run to catch it, but you can’t reach the chain.

You’ll have to teleport below it. For you, that’s suicide, but at least Boris will survive.

You can only hope there’s an afterlife governed by gods who care about you.

[Click here if you had a prayer go unanswered this loop.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43339004)  
[Click here if you did not.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43339046)


	189. Chapter 189

It’s Alice, who’s messing with controls on the wall as Boris whimpers inside an elevator.

[Click here if you’re eight feet tall.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43339091)  
[Click here if you’re smaller.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43338899)


	190. Chapter 190

"He looks up to you, and this is how you treat him?" you yell at the Ink Demon. "They gave you so many chances to be the hero, and you do nothing but kill. If you won't set them free, then I will."

Bendy turns. In one swipe of his bloated hand, your ribs are crushed and you find yourself back in the tunnel.

Yet another death at your own creation's hand....

But something is different this time. You...

[...have someone to greet you.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40832786)  
[...wake up in a different part of the studio than where you were.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40859309)  
[...see many more colors.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41402402)


	191. Chapter 191

Ink squeezes your throat and you gasp for breath.

You twist in his grasp, but that rewards you some of Bendy’s ink dripping into your throat. You feel the demon’s distilled loathing fill your stomach.

There’s something else too: a whisper begging for help.

You don’t get the full message before you drop into the inky tunnel, but you thought you heard something about Joey.

When you meet back up at Sammy, he listens to what you tell him about Bendy.

The man is facing one of the cut-outs. “He sounds… possessed…. In that case… we will have to set him free.”

You…

[…confront Joey.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43662716)  
[…look for a way to purify Bendy’s ink.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43662854)  
[…look for an exorcist who won’t hurt Bendy as well.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43663025)


	192. Chapter 192

You run. Bendy is right behind you. His hands wrap around your neck.

For the first time ever, you hear his words. _I gave you so many chances to be the hero, but you do nothing but kill. You can't be free._

You return to the dark puddles. There is no light at the end this time. You move forward, but you never reach the end. That's all you are now – just thoughts, surrounded eternally by buzzing, screaming voices.

The End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	193. Chapter 193

“Right. I want to see him.”

Sammy turns toward the door. “I suppose, if you do have his favor, that’s alright.”

The two of you search the halls, and you find him leaning into a wide support column in one of the warehouses. Dangling from his hand is the Seeing Tool.

This time, you’re certain of what you drew there: a little demon with a father demon and a mother demon. Given what you know of how Joey treated him, it’s probably a sore spot for Bendy.

But Sammy is beside you, hand still curved around his ax.

“Is that what you want, Bendy?”

The demon turns his head and nods.

“Would you rather have that or be a star again?”

He points at the wall.

You step toward him. “I’m sorry I didn’t know about you when you were first made, but I’m here now. I’m the one who designed you. I’ll be your father if you want.”

Bendy’s so still that for a moment you think he’s going to say no. But then, just perceptibly, he nods.

You go forward and wrap your arms around him.

“What about the rest of us? When will we be freed?”

Bendy growls over your shoulder.

You squeeze his arm. “Do you know how to free them?”

The demon shakes his head.

Turning to Sammy, you say, “He says he’ll send emissaries from the outside. Cooperate with them. It’s time for me to take Bendy home.”

You have Bendy gather what few things he wants to bring with him – toys, mostly – and take him home with you. You call in experts yourself and put your time at the studio to its

End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	194. Chapter 194

He’s not having it. He “lets you go” by putting his ax in your head.

You respawn and avoid the madman. You have to avoid a hostile Bendy too, journeying deeper underground until you play “The End.”

As always, Joey sends you back to the beginning. But this time, your age is catching up with you. You slip in the cinema’s flooding ink and hit your head.

[You black out.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40832183)


	195. Chapter 195

The sooner you talk to him, the better. You play "The End," and the moment you arrive in Joey's home, you enter his kitchen.

"Henry? So soon? I didn't expect you for another hour yet. Now you're just trying to impress me."

You slam your palms against his counter before he gets another word out. "Let's start the studio back up."

He turns. "Huh?"

"It was your dream, wasn't it? You can still have it, but let's focus on what's important this time." You offer him a hand. "Partners?"

He blinks. "Henry, I trapped you in a time loop until you clean up my mistakes."

"I know. I promised Sammy I'd set everyone free, but I think only you can do that." You steer Joey's wheelchair to him and encourage the frail man to sit down. "I think I've got the answer. Just hear me out."

With enough pushing, Joey comes around.

A year later, Sillyvision Studios has a stable income, and one day, Bendy and his fellow Toons walk into your young studio alive, whole, and sane. This time, your dreams know no

End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	196. Chapter 196

[You’ll need to talk to Joey about that, and currently, there’s only one way out of this studio to see him.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40838228)


	197. Chapter 197

You turn the corner and bump right into the demon, who grabs you.

Sammy takes a swing at your head, but Bendy knocks the ax to a wall. He presses you to his chest. “He was speaking heresy against you!”

Bendy growls at his prophet.

“You’re giving him another chance?”

When Bendy lets you out of his hug, you have to ask what’s going on and what the two ink beings want you to do.

Sammy crosses his arms. “Only the blood of a Creator can free us. Bendy has multiple plans to get that. Plan A is for one of you to willingly sacrifice yourself for us. He was hoping you love him enough for that.”

“Us?” You stare at the man. “But the only one I had a part in creating here is Bendy, and he’s not a captive.”

“You and Joey became blood brothers when you were kids, did you not? He was always on about his blood brother ditching him after you left.”

Yeah, you did. “And that’s enough to set you free? I’m still not him.”

Bendy whines.

Sammy steps to your side. “I don’t know if your blood will free the rest of us _,_ but if it doesn’t…. Joey bound Bendy to this place before he left. As his Creator, your blood would set him free, and then he can drag the man here to answer for his crimes.”

You set your hand on Bendy’s wrist. “Are you okay with this? If you kill Joey, he might not come back. I don’t want you to turn into a true murderer.”

“If he won’t kill Joey, I will.” The eyes on his mask catch yours. “You’ve had a glimpse of what it’s like down here. We need to be free.”

You…

[…agree to be killed.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43756288)  
[…suggest that you bring Joey here instead.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43756351)  
[…want to give Joey another chance to free everyone without getting killed.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43756417)


	198. Chapter 198

Susie makes you do her bidding, kills Boris, and you finish the path to the start of the loop.

But you have hope: if you could gain additional allies against the Ink Demon once, you can do it again. Just as soon as Sammy stops remembering that you failed to free him by the time you get down to the ink village....

It will be a long time before the time loop finally meets its

End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	199. Chapter 199

Sammy chases you down a flight and around a landing. You seal a door behind you, which is when you meet Boris.

You spend a few days at his safe house before feeling bold enough to venture out.

[The two of you get separated on Level K, where you meet what’s become of Susie Campbell.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41170784)


	200. Chapter 200

[You call it, but Sammy catches up by the time it gets there. You plead with him to give you another chance, or even to let you go your own way inside the studio.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43369673)


	201. Chapter 201

"I'm sorry!" you shout. "I'm sorry what Joey did to you. Look, we're all trapped here whether we like it or not. Can't we at least try to get along?"

Bendy grabs your neck.

You gurgle.

Snap!

You're inside the inky tunnel once more, further down than you've ever been. You walk to the edge and fall out. That's never happened.

You fall into something large, soft, and white. It looks like a giant hand, and its fingers wrap around you.

You squirm, but you can't break free. The grip is just right, but you still can't breathe.

You're dropped into something warm, wet, and clear. You can breathe again, and everything looks wrong. You're floating close to the floor, and you can look out and see an old ink bottle lying there. It shouldn't be as big as your head.

An inky knee gets onto the floor, a twisted leg wraps behind your visitor, and finally, Bendy's dripping face peers through the glass. His quivering smile never parts, but you clearly hear _Creator._ His white glove presses against the glass.

"You speak?"

_I’m a demon. Only the dying and the dead can hear me._

Dying? Dead? You glance down to get a better look at yourself. You spy two inky fins. A spin around gives you a look at a fanned tail. You turn toward Bendy. "What did you do?"

 _I showed you some mercy, since you apologized._ The demon’s hand slides down the glass, and it squeaks. _Otherwise, I would have ensured that you stayed trapped in the well._

"Mercy? You killed me! And turned me into a fish."

_Look around. Can you see where you are?_

You sink. "I'm in a fish tank."

_You’re in my home. You can’t kill anyone from that tank, but no one can kill you here either. I will care for you._

"Bendy, why did you drag me back and kill me?"

Bendy's more human-like hand meets the glass. _I didn’t drag you back here. That was Joey’s black magic. You can’t vary from what things he’s set in stone for you, and neither can I. He makes me punish those that break the rules in this hell of ours._ A strange noise comes from the demon, like he's sobbing.

You breath deeply through your gills and swim closer to your creation. "Bendy?"

_Sammy said you tried to abandon us last night!_

"No, Bendy. I was waiting until morning. I just wanted to see my family. I miss them." You swim until your lips are a hair away from the glass.

Bendy tells you that he can give you a different form once Joey is dead. Until then, for you this is

The End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	202. Chapter 202

You jerk back. You pull Linda behind you. "Run. It's him."

"Bendy?" she asks.

You nod.

Bendy turns his head toward you and waves. You stare at him.

One of the officers who escorted you clears her throat. "He's ten years old. Drew put him up to the trouble he caused at the studio. We've had him with a psychologist here until we knew he's safe, and now we're releasing him and his brother to you."

"His brother?" you ask.

"Bendy," asks the officer, "where's Boris?"

As Bendy points to a bathroom, you start grinning. "Boris is alive? And Bendy... really isn't evil?"

Bendy stands up and runs toward you. You step back on reflex, but he catches you easily and pulls you into his strong grip.

You tense and squirm.

"Henry," Linda whispers, "he's just hugging you."

Bendy flashes his smile at Linda.

You pat his back. "I bet you have quite the story, huh?"

By the time Boris comes out and joins in on a group hug, you know that it will be rough transitioning to living with two Toons in the house, outside the studio, but you don't think you could get much happier in

The End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	203. Chapter 203

It’s a coffin.

"What does this have to do with us?" you ask.

One of the officers escorting you, a stout woman with flaming red hair, inches away from you. Her partner elbows her.

The woman gulps. "We need someone to identify the body."

She nods to her partner and they approach the coffin, sliding the lid off. Inside lay a skeleton with thinning hair and ink-stained clothes. Your ink-stained clothes.

Your hands shake. "This has got to be some sick prank of Joey's."

You reach for your wife, but even she is pale. She's holding her hands over her mouth. "Henry, that is you."

"It's a sick prank," you repeat. "Joey was into life-sized models. That's why he had the ink machine built. I'm sure you could get his fingerprints off that coffin."

"We checked." The redheaded officer was shivering. "Have any of the ink zombies been acting differently toward you lately?"

Your eyes widen. "Bendy. He never- I mean, he always... I thought... I probably should have suspected something like this."

Something glints inside the coffin.

You step closer to the corpse. Clipped to its pants is your father's old pocket watch; poking out from the shirt is a bit of yellowed paper – the letter you got from Joey; and clutched in the hand is a single white glove made of ink.

Trembling, you say, "That first time round, Bendy tried to save me from falling through the floor. It still doesn't make sense."

A small hand slips into yours. "Doesn't it?" a voice squeaks. "They were Undead. I was still alive. So were you at the time. And you were my Creator. I only killed in hopes that souls could finally move on, but you always came back. I'm just glad Joey was never around to bind your soul to the ink."

You look down and there's Bendy, small and on-model. He grins. "Can you hear me now?"

You kneel down. "Sure can. What happened to you?"

"You kept playing the reel, remember? I forgive you." Bendy tugs on your hand. "Come on, it's time to go. Somewhere nice, I promise!"

Behind Bendy, you see a light. You smile back at your wife. "Linda, I love you. I'll see you again someday."

You go with your creation into the light and to

The End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	204. Chapter 204

You follow her to a conference room, where she has diagrams and graphics set up. They found someone to free Joey's victims, but the ink has some long-term side effects, which the police envision as creating a future of vigilantes and super villains.

You aren't included in the data because you haven't been tested, but the forensic scientist is confident in the chances of you having something. She wants to give you the opportunity to be checked.

You agree, and a few days later, you're informed that there is some ink permanently bonded to your bone marrow. The scientist can't explain what this means for you, but you have a sneaking suspicion that the ink and whatever magic was in the studio are responsible for why your stubbed toe healed in a matter of minutes the other day. As it is, it's a fortunate effect that you keep after

The End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	205. Chapter 205

The priests still look at you suspiciously, but they send a young priest armed with a vial of holy water to the studio with you. You lead him to the music department entrance.

The two of you climb the stairs and the young priest balks. "There's ink everywhere!" He's talking about the Searcher puddles.

"There are lost souls in there. They're being held captive by the demon."

Frowning, the priest sprinkles the nearest puddle with the holy water. It dissolves, and a wispy spirit rises from it - a dark-skinned man with long hair. The priest startles back in surprise.

The spirit smiles and thanks him. Then he is gone.

The priest looks at you. "How much ink is in this studio?"

"There's literally a moat of it in the lowest basement alone." You're eyeing the vial in his hands. If you were to guess, you'd say it could hold about one fluid ounce.

The priest climbs toward the door. "You've convinced me. Let's get out of here." When he tries the knob, it rattles but does not turn.

He turns toward you, and you can see the sweat on his brow. "You said there's a demon in here?"

You nod. "There are ways to avoid him until the other priests come looking for you. I'm sure they'll be better prepared."

You lead your companion up the stairs, but Bendy's ink is trailing ahead into the department entrance. You hurry him down and gesture for him to hush.

Too late. Bendy runs for the stairs, leaving you trapped in.

The priest dumps holy water on his face.

Bendy screams. The ink covering his eyes bubbles, pops, and dissolves. It leaves two wide red eyes underneath, ink still dripping from the lower lids.

The demon transforms into his beast form. One giant hand crushes the priest. The other comes for you.

The next thing you know, you're walking through the uppermost entrance to the studio with the young priest beside you. The door squeaks closed. "Alright, Joey," you say, "I'm here. Let's see if we can find what you wanted me to see."

The priest sobs.

You turn to him. "We're in a time loop. I'm sorry I got you trapped here with me, but we're going to be alright. The church still knows we're here."

He shakes his head. "It's not that. Look." He points at the floor, but you see the usual grimy floorboards.

"What?"

"The hole."

Your eyebrows raise. "But I haven't fallen through yet. There shouldn't be a hole. How can you see it?"

He grabs your hand and waves it in front of your face. "Notice anything?"

"I see my hand." You bite your lip. "Are you alright?"

"We're dead!" he shouts, and now that the words are out of his lips, you can see what he sees: two wispy spirits floating above a hole in the floor. "The demon killed me, and with what you said about a time loop – ghosts often experience that – you’ve been dead the whole time, haven't you?"

You feel numb. "I'm sorry." The words feel inadequate. You take a habitual breath. "The other priests are still coming. They'll get us out of here. Until then, we've just got to make sure the demon doesn't gain any advantages."

After patting the priest on the shoulder, you walk off. To prevent Bendy from finding the decoder this time around, you have to distract him by turning on the machine.

You're right. In a few days, an army of exorcists show up. You witness them vanquishing Bendy, and then you see a light that you follow to

The End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	206. Chapter 206

"It's hard to avoid this stuff when the lower floors are all flooded with it. Some of it's come to life with demonic power."

The priests discuss something in hushed voices. Finally, a father goes and retrieves a vial of holy water. "It's just ink," he says. "Watch."

He sprinkles your clothes with holy water and the ink on them hisses, pulls away, and evaporates. The priests all stare. Finally, one of them asks, "How much ink did you say is at the studio?"

You give your best estimate, and they prepare for the studio to reach

The End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	207. Chapter 207

You wish you had a camera, but the stores must be closed at this hour and the only friend you know with such a thing is Joey Drew. You'd rather avoid his place. As you head back to the studio, you wonder what you should take as proof. Sammy made it clear that ink beings cannot pass the studio's threshold.

Or at least they shouldn't be able to. Your blood freezes as you see Bendy's lanky form moving in the shadows near the music department door.

You dive into the bushes, but Bendy is on you in an instant. Your only comfort is that you glimpse an old woman letting her cat out across the street. She slams her door.

Perhaps the priests will listen to her when she complains, but Bendy's hands are already around your neck, and you are meeting

The End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	208. Chapter 208

You check the doorway as you're going to raise the ink machine. Nothing. You check again once you've got the thing turned on.

On the top board, there's a message that reads _DON'T BE AFRAID._

Admittedly, you don't have much to lose. You force yourself to stand still as Bendy reaches out at you. He puts his hand in your hair and touches his forehead to yours. A strange sound comes from the demon, as though he were sobbing.

You can't believe this is what you've been running from! "Bendy?"

Bendy steps through just as the pipes burst overhead. He motions for you to follow and runs. Not toward the exit, but toward a locked door he tears off its hinges. There's a lever there that he yanks, and the ink drains.

He dips his fingers in the remaining ink and writes _YOU DIDN'T DIE ON THE PENTAGRAM THIS TIME._

Your eyes widen. "In all those loops, I died for real?"

Bendy nods. He gathers more ink. _I TRY TO FREE THE SOULS TRAPPED HERE. THEY ALWAYS COME BACK._

Your mind grinds away until you put the pieces together. That explains Bendy's behavior. You smile and pat your creation's arm. "You've gotten braver since your cartoons. I'm proud of you. What do you say we find Boris and get out of here? I'll send in someone who knows how to release the Undead."

Bendy shows his approval with a hug.

You take your Toons and leave. That night, you explain about Bendy and Boris to Linda. The next morning, you call an exorcist for Sammy and the others. Everyone ends up where they're supposed to in

The End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	209. Chapter 209

You leap to the door and start banging. "Let me out! Someone! Boris? Alice? Tom? Sammy?"

Ink seeps under the door.

You back away. You try to hide in a closet, but Bendy searches the room when he steps through. He finds you. He drags you out by your throat and you gasp for each breath.

_I knew you'd come looking._

Grabbing at Bendy's fingers does you no good. Your hands slid over Bendy's ink, unable to get a grip.

The demon snickers.

"Why?" you ask. "I... made... you."

_No. I planted the idea for my physical form in your head, and Joey made it for me. Did you think demons aren't real?_

_I have to thank you. With your death, I can collect that soul Joey owes me. Maybe_ you'll _reach heaven, but your friend never lived up to the chances given to him, did he?_

Bendy crushes your throat. The last thing you hear is a snap before you reach

The End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	210. Chapter 210

You start the loop as usual, but after you've fallen, you avoid the music department. Instead, you take the ax and break through a wall to access the lift Sammy showed you. You take it to the floor where the conference room is and proceed inside.

The door shuts behind you. It's locked. You crack your ax trying to knock it down.

[With a sigh, you decide to check whatever Bendy wanted you to see. It's a pentagram. Bendy drew a giant pentagram on the floor.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41500925)


	211. Chapter 211

Whatever he wanted you to see, it's not on the ground floor.

Your seeing tool survives that first fall through the floor. You drain the ink that cushioned your landing and make your way into the pentagram room.

It's when you wake up there and look around that you find Bendy's message. You'd already known who was in two of the coffins in that room, Norman and Grant, but you'd never known who was in the third. Your instincts always screamed at you to avoid it. You did. But Bendy has it labeled, and you hope it's a threat: _HENRY._

There's a chill you can't shake. You trudge to the coffin side and pry it open.

A skeleton already lies inside, one with your thinning hair and your ink-stained clothes. You drop the lid and sink to your knees.

The room is filling with ink, but what can it do to one who is already dead? You let Bendy approach and send you into the inky tunnel.

There's a light at the end. You'd never realized the significance before, but you move to it. Every time previous, you'd been pulled back right as you were reaching the light, but this time, you reach

The End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	212. Chapter 212

You put the reel in and push play just in time. The end card projects onto the walls, and Bendy screams. He evaporates. A white glow starts at his throne and explodes out.

You look around. The studio is dark, but it's not cartoon-like anymore. The wood looks like wood rather than ink, the metal looks like metal, and the pile of projectionist corpses that supported the throne is a large stain instead.

"Hello? Sammy? Boris? Alice? Tom? Anyone?" When you take a look around, you find that the printing chambers are empty and all monster remains are gone.

The rickety old administrator's lift is still intact, and you take it up to the music department. When you try its exterior door, it opens and you step into the blinding sunlight, finally free in

The End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	213. Chapter 213

Bendy grabs you and dangles you by your ankle. He snarls, giving you a close look at his sharp yellow teeth and a strong whiff of his rancid breath.

You close your eyes. "Just kill me."

He starts walking, letting you slap against his side with every step he takes.

You open your eyes and watch as he takes you into through the machine's halls. You emerge into another room shaped like his throne room, only this one has its walls covered in framed artwork. All of it yours.

At least the monster has good taste.

Bendy growls, pointing to one of the frames. You twist until you've got a good angle at which to see it.

It's a humanoid cartoon in a white shirt covered with ink stains.

You remember this piece. It was a joke you drew once - yourself as a cartoon. You'd do nothing all day but draw cartoons as a cartoon yourself. "Yes, what about it?" you ask.

Bendy points to the picture and then to you. His jaws part with some inaudible word.

"Yes, I drew it. Do you want something with me?"

The demon takes the frame off the wall and hands it to you. He throws you into an empty ink chamber with it, and hot ink pours down your face.

You drop the picture and leap for the hallway. You crash into the glass.

You pound on it. It doesn't break.

You pound harder. "Bendy! Sammy! Let me out!"

Your skin is blistering, and it's getting hard to breathe. You don't last much longer before you pass out.

You wake up later as the Toon version of yourself, compelled to serve Bendy. Your memories are gone. Your true identity has met its

End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	214. Chapter 214

The demon snaps your neck. Without the ink machine running, this is

The End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	215. Chapter 215

You climb into the machine and land in Joey’s living room. The man is still puppeteering Bendy at his desk. “Come on,” he mutters. “Stop fighting me on this.”

Cushioning your steps against your old friend’s carpet, you avoid his notice. When you’re close enough, you snatch the puppet and snap its strings.

Joey’s eyes grow to the size of tennis balls. “You shouldn’t have done that.”

He doesn’t need to explain – inky tendrils are filling the room. Bendy himself is here.

You greet your demon with a smile, but he goes straight for your throat. This time, you remain in the ink.

Your counterparts in the real world must have finally brought their Halloween Special to

The End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	216. Chapter 216

You climb into the machine and land a few feet away from Bendy.

Big mistake. Joey’s still controlling him, so he does that awkward run of his and catches you before you can secure yourself inside a Little Miracle Station.

As always, you come back, but you make a request you can only hope that the real Henry Stein hears: that when you make it through this loop, you can remember to confront Joey instead.

You end up going all the way to the Ink Demon’s lair and playing “The End.”

[However production is going in the real world, they must be certain of it up to the point where you wake up in the cinema.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40832183)


	217. Chapter 217

With no demon in sight, you put the reel in the projector and start it playing. You smile at the memory of your little devil darling - the innocent cartoon he was meant to be, not the twisted monster he'd become. "Goodbye, Bendy."

Everything goes white.

You don't remember the drive home from Joey's, but you park in your driveway with a smile on your face, humming Bendy's old theme song. Your mind is filled with a hundred new character concepts from warrior peas to sleepy sloths.

Your favorite is the one that carries a ruby-crested scythe.

When you enter your home, you're met with a squealing daughter and the smell of brownies. You scoop your little girl into your arms and plant a kiss on her forehead. "How was school?"

She giggles. "Today is Saturday, silly!"

Linda steps out of a kitchen, a bowl and a towel in her hands. "What did that old dragon want?"

"He's not an old dragon!"

He'd played no such trick, had he? It would be his younger self's idea of a prank, but you don't think Linda knows about your friend's magic.

Linda rolls her eyes. "What did your old friend want then?"

"He wanted to help me get past the creative block I've been having. And he did. I'm no longer hung up on old ideas." You decide to leave out the part where Joey put a sleeping spell on you and had you dream through a nightmarish version of your old studio to do so. "It's been years Linda. He's worthy of another chance. I've invited him over for dinner next Sunday."

Your wife's annoyed, but you hope she'll warm up to Joey in

The End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	218. Chapter 218

You notice you’re trembling. The realization that you’re a cartoon character must be catching up with you. “If it’s possible, I’d like to pretend none of this ever happened. I don’t want to hate my version of Joey. I don’t want to know that I’m a Toon. I don’t want to remember your world. I just want to go back to my family.”

“I see.” Henry deflates. “I can’t promise anything, but I’ll try to finish up your special. Think you can play that reel one last time?”

[You agree. You climb in the machine and land in Bendy’s lair.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40837436)


	219. Chapter 219

You dig your elbow into the armchair. "Come to think of it, I'm not sure I ever even knew her. If I'm a character in that movie, have I been anywhere but Joey Drew Studios? Could my memories of her be simple backstory? You wanted me to be as close to you as could."

Henry nods. "It's a possibility."

Characters.... Back home, Sammy and the Ink Demon were like you - they could make their own decisions - but everyone else went exactly off the script. Even... Boris. 

You beckon Bendy to lean toward you. You whisper, "Were you always aware you existed? Or did you go through a transition period when you started to come alive?"

"The transition period. The more Henry drew me, the more aware I became." The demon grasps your shirt. "Are you gonna stay?"

You press a forehead into your fist, which gets Bendy shaking you and asking what's wrong.

"My Linda," you say. "Even if she's in there, I don't think she's developed enough to be sentient. I'll stay."

"Thanks, Dad!" Bendy crushes you in a hug.

[You hold him to your chest. "I'm not losing you too."](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41467775)


	220. Chapter 220

"I've been trying to get home to Linda for years," you say.

Immediately, Bendy's eyes swell with tears that run down his face. He buries his face in Henry's shoulder. "Dad!"

Henry and Joey exchange looks.

"He said it again," Joey says.

Henry nods. "I know. I think we'll have to do it." He wraps his arms around the demon.

Joey looks at you and wheels forward. "Come on. It's about time we sent you home."

You follow and watch as Joey checks some readings on the machine. "In my world, I'm trapped in a nightmarish version of this studio with corrupted former coworkers and a version of Bendy that wants to kill me. No matter what I do, I keep reliving the terrors."

"That's the movie we've been producing to create you. You're probably dealing with all the cuts and revisions. We're touching up a few last scenes, and as soon as we're finished, you'll be able to get out of there. We will give you a happy ending, but we haven't been satisfied with anything so far - the Ink Demon's been more sympathetic with our test audiences than intended." Joey reaches to a dial and turns the status to PAUSE. Then he spins around and looks at you. "You're more immersed in your world. Any suggestions?"

You nod. "Yeah. You end with me killing Bendy with a film reel, but-"

"Yes?" Joey leans forward.

You...

[...want to take the Ink Demon home with you.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41414366)  
[...want to team up with the Ink Demon against a bigger threat.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41414951)  
[...are concerned about the coffins in the studio.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43757332)


	221. Chapter 221

Joey volunteers to check the readings and wheels out.

In the meantime, you make conversation with... yourself, you suppose, about the differences between your two studios.

You wish you could have worked at this one instead.

In a few minutes, Joey returns with a frown on his face. "Henry, we need to borrow your magic."

Your counterpart leans back. "Shoot."

"It can't tell if she's in there. Too much interference. According to the machine, us having corrupted-Bendy pop up at random in the movie gave him the ability to walk through walls, changing the atmosphere by adding shadows gave him to ability to walk around with toxic ink trails surrounding him, and... well, you get the idea. We've got to take stock of that dimension."

Henry's getting out of his seat. "I thought the machine was supposed to be helping me control my power?"

Bendy runs to his leg. "It's keeping it contained, isn't it? I'm scared of the thought of an evil me running around."

"You told me you were getting over your fear." Joey crosses his arms. "Is that true? If not, I think I know exactly why the Ink Demon's getting all those abilities."

You never had your question about Linda answered, but this might trump it anyway. Either the Ink Demon keeps terrorizing other Toons - maybe even Linda - in your home world, or he breaks free and kills everyone here. Bendy. Joey. Your creator. From what you understand, he's just going to keep growing in power.

You stand up. "Sure the Ink Demon's been gaining abilities, but I've also been slowly gaining the courage to confront him. Maybe that's what your Henry means by getting over it."

He smiles and nods.

Returning his smile, you meet the creators' eyes. "I think it's possible to overcome this."

You offer to...

[...confront the Ink Demon.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41446733)  
[...tame the Ink Demon.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41471291)  
[...stay and help your counterpart conquer his fears.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43758637)


	222. Chapter 222

The demon is grumbling about you and rubbing a lump on his head when you find him. He’s at a desk with papers and ink when you walk into the office he secluded himself in. He glares at you.

You offer him a hand. “I’m sorry we got off on the wrong foot. You had something to say to me earlier? I’m ready to listen now.”

“I should curse you into oblivion.”

You lower your hand, it going unshaken. “But you won’t. You know I’m from another world. If that's not proof that you have something to do with my being here, I don't know what is.”

“I need a favor,” Caestelis grumbles. He reaches for the papers on his desk and hands them to you. One is a strip of demonic runes. The other’s a sketch of a telephone. “My son is stranded in your world. I need you to send him back to me.”

You put the papers in your pocket. “I take it you mean the Ink Demon?” That’s going to be difficult. “I’ll do it for you if you set your Joey free.”

He waves his hand. You’re pushed out of the room by the air itself and the office door closes in front of you.

But when you see Joey, he’s smiling. “It worked! Time’s running out for me to move on, but I can get you home.”

[He gets you inside your studio’s entrance hall and steps away into a faint light.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42638708)


	223. Chapter 223

“Is Bendy around?”

The ghost shakes his head. “He was here for a while, but I haven’t seen him lately. You wouldn’t like the way my Henry is raising him anyway.”

If asking another demon for help isn’t an option, the next best thing is…

[…making a bet with Caestelis.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43079417)  
[…making a deal with Caestelis.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43451435)


	224. Chapter 224

The Lost One's eyes are a little creepy. You nod to them and whisper, "Are they what you're scared of?"

The cut-out springs away. It's looking at one of the forming figures you asked about.

"Bendy?"

The cut-out zips to an empty alcove. It rocks itself toward the sliding glass door.

You come to it. "I guess I'd rather be stuck as an ink figure than as a cut-out too."

When you close the door, ink pours into the alcove. It makes a giant glob at first, lumping together into a short form with the first hint of horns. You don't know why, but it's forming more quickly than the other figures. The body smooths out, white appears on the face - both the grin and the pie-cut eyes intact, and the hands take four fingers each and a set of gloves.

"What do you know? You're on model."

Bendy grins and presses his hands against the glass. The excess ink drains and the door slides open.

Bendy leaps out with a bow. He offers you his hand.

When you reach for it, Bendy pulls it away. His hands go over his mouth, and his teeth chatter. Behind those hands, you can see that his grin has flipped over.

"What is it?"

He points. Charging from the throne room is the Ink Demon himself.

You run toward the moat. "Bendy, hide!"

The Ink Demon swats you down.

You roll over.

His slotted hand is raised above you.

You scoot back.

Bendy runs between you and him. He's shivering and looking away, but he's there for you. The Demon's hand meets his, and the Demon melts away.

You get to your feet. "Bendy?"

Bendy hasn't noticed. He's still flinching away from the thought of the demon.

You put a hand on his shoulder. "You saved us, bud. He's gone."

Bendy looks up, wide-eyed.

When you leave the studio, you take all your allies with you. You go to Joey's and make him reverse his magic. Everyone returns to normal - except Bendy, who is already himself.

While Joey continues to put things right, you take Bendy home with you. Your troubles in the studio have come to a happy

End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	225. Chapter 225

"You're alright. No one's going to chain you up."

You quickly find you're mistaken about what the cut-out wants. No sooner are the words out of your mouth than you hear what spooked him: the chains rattle a bit and move, as though someone is pulling at them from behind the throne. Furthermore, he's still pushing against you, as though trying to get you to move out of danger.

You back toward the moat, but a bloated cartoon hand grabs the chair. The Ink Demon pulls himself up. He roars and climbs over.

The cut-out tries to flee, and the demon swipes at it first. It breaks, and out comes a spirit - Joey's. A much younger Joey's.

Bendy chases him out of the Ink Machine, too fast for you to follow, but you've got to do something!

You hurry into the throne room and play _The End_. You hear the demon's distant screams, and then you are in Joey's apartment. His spirit is beside you.

He smiles and floats toward the kitchen. You follow in time to see him reentering his body.

Joey coughs. He leans against the kitchen sink.

"What was it that happened to you?"

He ambles to face you. "You always have questions, old friend. As well you should." He pulls up a stool and sits across from you. "After you left, I grew more and more obsessed with fame and fortune until I tried to bring Bendy to the real world and ended up with a demon. The attempt cost me my soul and left my body to follow the heinous path I’d inadvertently set up for it. Thank you for getting my soul back."

You're not sure if you forgive Joey, but the Ink Demon's reign of terror in your old studio has reached its

End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	226. Chapter 226

The Ink Demon was frightening enough. You aren't sticking around for the Devil.

You take Bendy's hand. "We've got to get you out of here. Can you step foot on holy ground?"

He nods. He points the way to a lift that takes you back to the music department, and you escape the studio together. You hurry to the nearest church and have the priests baptize Bendy, even though he's a demon. It burns him a bit, but it's better that than let the Devil get him.

Afterward, the church sends exorcists to the studio. Thus, the demonic plot comes to its

End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	227. Chapter 227

The demon writes that the body is his own. Joey Drew made a deal with the Devil himself to get his machine working.

Bendy was the first figure ever made, and he was a success. However, he refused to do the Devil's bidding, so the Devil ripped his soul from his body and stuffed it into a cut-out. His body became a monster.

[Your creation is shivering and glancing around Joey's office as you read, as though expecting the Devil to come for him.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43455767)


	228. Chapter 228

The devil with you is the Bendy from Caestelis's world, but he apologizes for what he did to you as the Ink Demon.

What isn’t your counterpart’s fault turns out still to be Joey’s: getting fed up with his ink machine’s not working, he summoned a demon, _Bendy_ , but he didn’t do it correctly. Bendy’s body and soul got separated on the way between his dimension and yours.

You wipe the Toon’s tears. “You’re okay now, kiddo. I’m glad I got the chance to meet the real you.”

He buries his head in your shirt. You hold him until he’s done crying.

When he looks up, you smile at him and ask, “Are you ready to go home? I'll look after you.”

Bendy grabs his pen again and writes _NO. I WANT MY DAD, BUT CAN I EAT JOEY FIRST?_

Joey… Joey may have done a lot, but enough to get eaten in revenge? Is this what Caestelis is teaching Bendy to do? “No. You can’t. And Bendy, your father, he's not around anymore.”

Bendy shakes his head and sketches a telephone, which he pulls off the page. He holds it to his horn, growling and squeaking into the mouthpiece. The little devil dances around the office in his non-verbal half of a conversation.

Eventually, he offers the phone to you. “Hello?”

It’s Caestelis on the other end. “Bendy told me what Joey did. Tell me, did he do anything else?”

You squeeze the handle. “You're dead.” You slam the phone on the desk, but Bendy picks it up and hands it back to you.

The call must still be active, because you can hear Caestelis’s purr on the other end: “We always come back from a violent death. Don't worry: I don’t want anything from you. I just have a suggestion… from the part of me with regrets. That was unsporting of me to try to take you down with me when you said you'd get out of my hair if you won. It's physically painful for demons to go against their word, so this is me setting things right.”

You scowl. “And I can believe you because…?”

“You quit working at Joey Drew Studios before my son was summoned there, correct?”

“What does-”

“Did you ever figure out that you have a little natural magic?”

You pull the phone away to give it a look, and when you do so, Bendy places a glove on your arm and nods. With his other hand, he points up.

“What’s that?” You ask him.

He points back at the phone.

“Bendy told me there’s a picture in your art department that moves around on its own. _My_ Bendy started the same way, trapped and suffering. And, with my wife and I being unable to conceive, I got desperate. I stopped caring who I hurt as long as I could bring my devil fully into reality.”

“You’re teaching him to eat people!”

The demon laughs. “I don’t regret _that_! But you… you would, wouldn’t you? That’s why I wanted to ask you about Joey. He probably got the idea to bring Toons to life because of that picture of yours. He probably does in most realities.”

You narrow your eyes. “So the suffering in my world is my fault, is it?”

Bendy grabs your shirt, shaking his head.

“My point is,” says Caestelis, “there’s a reality in which a Henry talked him out of using black magic altogether. In response, he reworked that machine of his to help that Henry control his natural magic. They made their Bendy real, and no one got hurt. They proved it’s possible. If your Joey’s shown that he regrets what he did, it might be worth it to rekindle your friendship.”

Caestelis hangs up.

Grinning, Bendy snatches the phone away from you, draws himself a demonic rune, and disappears.

You climb the studio, avoiding Butcher Gang clones and unsound hallways on your way. You pass the Music Department in favor of Art, where you rest your hand on the sketch Caestelis mentioned.

Bendy is beaming out of the page.

You rest your hand on the page. “Hi, Bendy. Are you alright in there?”

In the time it takes you to blink, Bendy has moved. He’s now pressing himself against your finger.

You close your eyes and take a breath. “It’s true, isn’t it. Time to go home.”

With a lot to think about, you take Bendy’s paper from the studio. You’re not sure what you’re going to do, but you’ll have to make a decision in

The End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	229. Chapter 229

"It's alright. It's just one of your old cartoons."

But it quickly becomes obvious it's not the show that has him worried: the cut-out leaps behind you, where there comes a crunch and the clanging of falling pieces.

You spin. The cut-out is in pieces on the ground, and the Ink Demon's beast form is baring its teeth. You back against some glass, with nowhere to run.

But something white and glowing is rising from the cut-out's remains. The demon turns to look.

You know you should take the chance to slip away, but you're fixated on the shape the glow is taking - it's a perfect 3D Bendy. It opens two pie-shaped eyes and reaches for the beast.

The moment its hand touches the arm, the form is sucked inside the Ink Demon's body, and ink cascades off the demon, leaving an on-model Bendy trembling there and staring at his hands.

"What just happened?"

Bendy sobs.

"Did you just take over the Ink Demon's body?"

The Toon glances at you, wipes his tears, and mimes writing on a clipboard. You take him to the administration offices and start looking for abandoned pens and spare paper.

[Click here if Joey gave you Bendy's cut-out.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43455404)  
[Click here if Sammy gave you Bendy's cut-out.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43455053)


	230. Chapter 230

You lead the way to Joey’s office and take Henry through the wall.

He squints at the labels. “It’s awfully dark in here.”

There hasn’t been a light since this was walled off.

You watch your creator rest his hand on one switch, then another, then the broken lever that controls the machine’s soul-catching capacity. “I don’t know how to work the ink machine, but this looks helpful, if we can repair it.”

[You'd never been able to before. Now, you're conflicted on whether you want to.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43298852)


	231. Chapter 231

You don’t know how long you spend cramped up in the pipes, but at some point you go to the ritual room and pray to Joey’s gods. You promise them the entire studio if you and Henry could just be alive again.

It’s all Joey Drew’s fault, and you never got a chance to live really, so you feel perfectly justified in asking.

[After this, you go sulk in the lower levels. You don’t know how long you spend doing that either before something pulls you out of your own head:](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41978471)


	232. Chapter 232

You lean in close and wipe the ink from your eye.

Instead of a pie-shape, there’s an X.

You stumble back.

Henry catches you. “Did you not know?” Patting your back, he says, “It’s okay. You’re not alone. But if you need something to take your mind off it, you can show me whatever you wanted me to see.”

[Click here if you do that.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43471799)  
[Click here if you run off to be alone for a while instead.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43472015)


	233. Chapter 233

You touch the innermost circle and everything goes black. You can just hear your creator calling your name as you drift off.

The next time you open your eyes, the lights are bright and your creator is young again. He’s sticking his tongue between his teeth at you, scratching a pen over your head. You look up at the half-finished beaker he’s drawing, and he yelps. There’s a crash against the floor.

You try to go help him up, but you bounce off an edge. That's how you notice you’re back in 2D and confined to a sheet of paper.

“Everything okay?” Joey’s voice calls.

“There was a spider.” Your dad gets to his feet. “Not a cute one like Edgar either. I got it.”

You look at him, eyes wide. Why was he so startled to see you? It’s not like he's never seen you in real life before.

His eyes are wide too, but there’s a certain glow to them as he bends toward you. “Bendy?”

You grin, nod, and mime giving him a big hug.

He pulls up his chair. “You’re alive? I thought I was going crazy seeing you change positions on me this week. I had to keep redrafting the poster.” He shows you a sketch for “Bendy and the Alchemist’s Secret.”

It’s got that same symbol from the middle of the pentagram. You point to it, frowning.

“I’m not sure what it does. Something about turning lead to gold maybe. Joey did the research.”

How does that explain anything?

Henry rubs his pen against your horns. It tickles, so you giggle into your hands.

He flips the pen over and rubs your cheek. “It’s really you.”

Beaming, he sets out a new paper and restarts his work, whispering to you, and pausing every so often to tease you with his pen. It takes your mind off being trapped for a bit.

As time goes on, you’re not sure if that other studio was a nightmare you had where people you cared about were hurt, or a dream in which you could interact freely with them in all three of their dimensions. It doesn’t matter either way in

The End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	234. Chapter 234

When you touch the symbol, the pentagram lights up. You and your dad back away. Sammy runs off.

Large and red, the Devil himself steps through.

You cling to your dad’s side. He pushes you toward the stairs. “Run.”

Your ink is frozen. Your body is pulled away from your father’s and starts to hover. Slowly, it’s turned to face the Devil.

He peers into your eyes. Hatred brushes against your soul.

Then the Devil reads your dad. He laughs. “How _pathetic!_ There’s an inky excuse for a demon – not even a proper Toon either – and an animator who could have been so much more! In fact, he is, in other dimensions: willing to turn himself into a demon to make his art more lively. If you’re not going to be proper demons, you could at least entertain me.”

“No!” Your dad spits. His body jerks as though he’s being restrained by the Devil too.

Laughing, the Devil snaps his fingers. “You’ve got potential!”

Your father morphs. His skin becomes a bright red. His skin bubbles until it’s covered in lava-spurting boils. Horns curl out from his head. Snarling, he turns two empty eyes on you.

The Devil teleports you into the larger ink machine, in that room with the four glass pillars. “Make it good.” He drops the spell on you and you crash to the floor.

The demon that was your father rushes you. He goes straight for your throat.

It’s his lava that gets you. Your ink melts away for its final

End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	235. Chapter 235

You reach for it, but Henry grabs your hand. “Don’t.”

He’s trembling, and he looks pale.

You put an arm around him.

He pats your hand. “I didn’t want to remember. Joey… he came here with me. He brought me down this entrance and put a bit of my blood right there.” He’s nodding to the dark spot. “He took me to the ink machine, and….”

Sammy peers at him. “And what?”

He shakes his head. “I still don’t want to remember. Let’s suffice it to say that as long as I’m alive, that bit of my blood in the pentagram is trapping us all here.”

Stepping forward with his ax in hand, Sammy says, “There’s an easy way to break the curse then.”

You step between Sammy and your dad and growl. If killing him’s the only way to break the curse, then you want to wait it out to its

End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	236. Chapter 236

He takes your hand and steps forward into a blinding light.

You’ve never heard of heaven or hell, not really. But the afterlife is a much nicer place than you imagined to be after your

End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	237. Chapter 237

He sneaks you home in the cover of darkness and wakes up his wife, Linda, to meet you. She asks if you’re demonic as you look.

He shrugs. “Joey gave him a pentagram for an eye, but he really hasn’t been that hostile. He’s more like a scared little kid.”

She gives you a cold shoulder, but Henry assures you she’ll warm up to you in

The End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	238. Chapter 238

You step closer to your creator.

[Click here if you’ve ever seen what’s under your ink.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43518173)  
[Click here if you haven’t.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43518200)


	239. Chapter 239

“What is it?”

You take him back to the controls and point to the imprint mechanism. When he frowns at it silently, you’re scared he doesn’t understand what you want, or at least how much it means to you.

Then his eyes light up. “Oh! One of those logs mentioned ink imprinting on characters. I think it has something to do with the forms you take?”

You nod.

He puts his hands on your shoulders. “You want to finally be on model before we leave. Sure. I don’t know how much I can help you with that, but I can try.”

He does. He doesn’t get you on model, but he gets you close enough that you’re okay with leaving this rotting old studio.

[Click here if you’ve ever seen what’s under your ink.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43518173)  
[Click here if you haven’t.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43518200)


	240. Chapter 240

Peeking around every corner on your way, you return to the Little Miracle Station where you saw your old friend. He’s left, but you can see a trail of bacon soup cans that weren’t there before. You follow them back to a sealed door that you knock on.

Opening it slowly is a human man. You can’t believe your luck!

“Dad!” You squeeze through the gap and hug his legs.

Henry closes the door. “Do I know you?”

“It’s me! It’s Bendy.” You grab his shirt. “You’ve gotta recognize your own creation. Didn’t you write _My dream? My family?_ You made me. That makes you my dad.”

He pries your hands off and bends to your level. “How did you get in here? Your parents must be worried.”

You thought he’d love you now that you’re human, but he doesn’t even recognize you! How can you convince him who you are? Maybe you could…

[…wait for him to figure it out himself.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43885315)  
[…show him the skill you’re best known for.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43885549)  
[…call all your bad memories back to tell him why you asked the gods to make you human.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43885438)


	241. Chapter 241

You walk through the levels, peering around every corner, but the practice can’t help you when Charley jumps out at you from behind a poster.

Once, you were the terror of the studio. Now, a lowly Butcher Gang clone is bringing your life to its

End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	242. Chapter 242

You run for the stairs, but you’ve forgotten that humans can’t walk through walls. You end up breaking through the trap door in the break room to get down to the next level.

From here, you know your way around, but an attacking Searcher reminds you just how vulnerable humans are. You want to find a friendly face quickly.

[Click here if you’ve seen Boris recently.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43566632)  
[Click here if you have not seen Boris recently.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43566674)


	243. Chapter 243

It’s locked.

But Sammy, your “prophet,” he’s friendly to you, right? He could help.

You sit at the edge of the ink. You sit there long enough that you fall asleep.

Hours later, a warm hand is shaking you awake, and you recognize the face it belongs to – it’s Henry! Laughing, you wrap your arms around him. “Dad! I sure am glad to see you.”

“You’ve mistaken me for someone else.” He picks you up. “But I can’t just leave a kid in here. Where are your parents?”

You tell him again, but you can’t convince him.

He takes you to the police. They send you to an orphanage.

Life’s tough, but anything is better than the studio in

The End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	244. Chapter 244

You sit there until your stomach starts to growl. At that point, you decide you’d be better off where someone else, someone friendly, could see you. You stand up and walk to the exit.

[There is a giant hole in the floor, so you raid a closet for soup and break through the trap door in the break room. From there, you walk toward an exit near the music department and attempt to wade through the ink to reach the door.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43566803)


	245. Chapter 245

[You run for the main exit, but there’s a hole in the floor. Instead, you make your way down to the music department and attempt to use that exit.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43566803)


	246. Chapter 246

You slip on some fresh ink, and an arm steadies you: Sammy's.

"Are you alright, Lesser Creator?"

You nod. "My name is Henry. What happened to you?"

"Bendy attacked me after he killed you." Sammy tilted his head. "You were right about how he treats us, but if he isn't the one who spared you, who is?"

As you scan the halls for danger, you tell Sammy about the villainous Joey, the ink machine, and the endless time loop that you're all trapped in. He listens.

When you are done, Sammy removes his mask and snaps it in half. "Bendy was never going to set us free, was he?"

"I don't think he could, even if he wanted to. As powerful as Bendy is, Joey is even more powerful."

Sammy turns his featureless head sharply. "And you can free us?"

"Give me enough time and I'm sure I can find something that can do it. But I may need some help."

"If it's help you need, then you've got it... Henry." Sammy offers a hand for you to shake. Smiling, you take it.

With your new ally, you...

[...gather people to open an exit.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40832849)  
[...shut down the Ink Machine.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40833893)  
[...go after Bendy's weakness.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40835651)


	247. Chapter 247

You open your eyes to a thick layer of glass separating you from the paneled hallway that contains other 3D-printing alcoves. Everything seems twice the size it did last time you were down here.

You raise your hands toward the glass.

They've changed too. Your fleshy, five-fingered hands have been replaced with toony four-fingered ones.

You want to express your despair, but your mouth won't move. What does it have, stitches? You touch your face and feel perfectly-smooth ink where your mouth should have been.

Who are you now?

You touch the glass and it slides open. You jump out.

You long to find out what you've been turned into, but you also long to leave this place, and that can't happen until you defeat the Ink Demon. You're down here, in his lair. You're not sure you could avoid him yourself if he chases you around down here.

You quickly make the decision to...

[...sneak into the throne room.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40861832)  
[...get some help.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40930433)  
[...go look in a mirror.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41393642)


	248. Chapter 248

After some discussion, Sammy agrees to guard you on your way down to the ink machine to play “The End” and go to Joey’s.

You greet your old friend with a punch to the face and a demand that he relinquish his control on Bendy. He begs, claiming that he doesn’t have full control over the demon and that it’s better if he stays under his partial control.

It takes a broken nose for Joey to agree to set Bendy free.

When you walk toward Joey’s door, he calls after you, “Please do not return to the old studio.”

You ignore him. His door leads to the outside world for once, but you can’t just leave Bendy, Sammy, and the others in suffering. You drive yourself to the studio and walk through the front door, where you are greeted with a Bendy cut-out and a new inky message: _COME FIND ME._

“I’m here, buddy. Just hold on.”

Scattered throughout the studio, you find messages like _DADDY, I’M SCARED_ and _SAVE ME._

Eventually, you find a message that says _I FEEL SAFE WHERE YOU GAVE ME A CHANCE._

There are only two places you can think of that fit the description – the desk where you designed your little demon in the first place, and that press room where you’d died at Bendy’s hands that last time. You’ve already seen your desk, so you go to the press room.

[The door closes behind you. In front of you is an empty coffin with your name on its lid.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41500925)


	249. Chapter 249

“So what do we do about it?”

You suggest…

[…thinning Bendy’s ink to dilute Joey’s control over him.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/44148388)  
[…replacing Bendy’s ink with the stuff you use to leave yourself messages.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/44148460)


	250. Chapter 250

“So what do we do about it?”

You suggest…

[…giving Bendy a transfusion of your own ink.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/44148256)  
[…thinning Bendy’s ink to dilute Joey’s control over him.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/44148313)  
[…replacing Bendy’s ink with the stuff you use to leave yourself messages.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/44148460)


	251. Chapter 251

Pulling at your hair, you say, “He’s a demon. Can he be possessed? I think it’s more likely that someone’s using black magic to control him…. Susie keeps saying that his ink is tainted. That might have something to do with it.”

[Click here if you're real.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43662773)  
[Click here if you're a Toon.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43662797)


	252. Chapter 252

When all the ink melts away, a little boy is kneeling there in the Ink Demon’s place. He is still sobbing into his hands.

You sit beside him. “It’s alright. I won’t let your dad hurt you any more.”

The exorcist places a finger on the child’s forehead and draws a cross there. “What’s your name?”

Bendy doesn’t answer, so you answer for him.

The child gasps and looks up at you the moment you do so, giving you the impression he didn’t know he was ever human. You wrap your arms around him. “I want to find his mother’s family. If they don’t want him, I do.”

For everyone involved, it’s a long path to healing in

The End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	253. Chapter 253

The exorcist recites a passage at him, and Bendy is surrounded by a white mist. Meeting your eyes, the exorcist says, “That should be enough. You can deal with him now. I’ll see what I can do for the other souls in this place.”

[You nod. You kneel next to Bendy, rubbing circles on his back and whispering reassurances as his form starts shaking itself apart.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42733862)


	254. Chapter 254

You and Sammy both leave the studio and go the nearest church. With Sammy’s inky presence, it’s easy enough to get an exorcist to come with you to free Bendy.

The three of you descend through a tunnel to reach the music department’s entrance, and it collapses behind you. You’ve still got a demon to save before you can even think of making your way back out.

On the way through the studio’s inky rot, the exorcist talks with Sammy and determines that the man is dead. He shakes his head, grumbling about Joey Drew. He also taps Sammy’s back. “If that _demon_ won’t set you free, we will.”

“He will.”

You cut the conversation short by pointing out the ink trails that indicate Bendy’s proximity. Sammy volunteers to get his “Lord” to chase him, and is torn apart in the process.

It’s your turn. It’s close, but you successfully lure him past the exorcist, who douses him with holy water.

The demon screeches behind you.

You turn around. He is on his knees, hands buried in his face.

[Click here if you found a letter to Joey.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43662938)  
[Click here if you did not.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43662995)


	255. Chapter 255

Bendy wraps his arms around you. He’s shaking.

You hug him back. “It’s alright. I’ve lived my life. Now it’s your turn.”

You request to Sammy to make it quick, so he plants his ax into the back of your head. It’s not an instant death, but you’re fading fast. Bendy keeps holding you as you meet your

End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	256. Chapter 256

They allow you to return to Joey’s, and you walk into his kitchen. “Henry, so soon? It’s only been since breakfast. You’ve set a new record.”

You don’t say a word. Instead, you walk around the counter and grab him. You pull him with you into the cartoon world he’s created.

With the exit locked behind you, he can’t get away. You raise up the Ink Machine and turn it on.

Bendy pops up as usual, but you grab his hand when he reaches for you. “Joey’s somewhere on this floor. Help me take him to Sammy.”

Your creation complies.

Down a couple stories, Sammy ties Joey up on a pentagram and sacrifices him to the gods. The moment his blood splatters against the floor, the studio changes: no longer is it a sketched version of the place you used to work, but dark volcanic stone. No longer are its halls filled with pipes and dripping ink, but with lava and smoke. No longer are its inhabitants creatures of ink, but fanged, horned, demons.

And so are you. Sure you got your revenge on Joey, but your humanity has reached its

End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	257. Chapter 257

They allow you to return to Joey’s, and you walk into his kitchen to confront him. “Henry, so soon? It’s only been since breakfast. You’ve set a new record.”

You drop your fists against his counter and lean over. “They’re planning your murder in hopes it will set them free, but I’ve convinced them to give you another chance. You’ve got to end this. Now.”

The man goes quiet. “Come with me. There’s something I need to show you.”

He takes you on a tour of the apartment. He starts by inviting you to his side of the kitchen counter and cutting his own finger with a knife. Black ink spurts out until the wound heals over moments later.

You peer at him, trying to spot anything else off about him. Inhuman eyes? No. An outline? No. Slight discoloration? Not that you can tell. “What are you?”

“I think I’m supposed to be a self-portrait. It’s not like I can ask the real Joey Drew – he’s gone missing. I’ve been… saving his place here. Trying to investigate that ink machine of his from this side.” He limps toward the kitchen. “I’ve got more to show you.”

You follow at a distance. A self-portrait, he claims. You suppose Joey was a skilled enough artist to create a realistic self-portrait with colored ink, but what about the soul? It’s just Bendy who was supposed to be missing one.

As you follow the inky Joey to a bulletin board in his living room, you look around. You see bright colors, but nothing out of place. You take a sniff, as though you might notice an odd scent like a decaying body. All that meets your nose is old grease from a burger wrapper in the trash can.

Joey takes some letters from the bulletin board. He hands them to you. “Wally Franks. Thomas Connor and Allison Pendle Connor. You remember complaining about what I’ve done to them? I’ve contacted the real ones. Henry, they’re still human.”

You blink. “What about the souls? I found Joey’s recording about using them to make living cartoons.”

“I don’t think that’s the case. After all, there are other yous and other mes running around in there. Heck, even some of the Joeys have their own Ink Machines to look after. You’ve told me about times you visited them at the end of a run instead of me.” Joey grabs your arm. “Help me walk back to the ink machine. There’s one last thing I need to show you.”

You do, but you’re still keeping your eyes peeled for any sign that the original Joey Drew has died.

Inky Joey has you take him to a pile of newspapers. “I don’t know what the real Joey Drew was thinking with his Ink Machine, but I have to wonder if the real Henry Stein had anything to do with it.”

“Excuse me?”

Joey just hands you a paper: ANIMATOR FOUND DEAD AT DESK. You tremble as you read old news of Henry Stein’s death.

Your friend puts his hand on your shoulder. “I can’t enter the machine proper. You can. We promised each other that we’d figure it out together, maybe find out what happened to our friends.”

“They’re planning to kill us. Well, you. Most of them would be perfectly happy killing me too. They think we’re people we’re not.”

He nods. “What do we do now?”

You’re quiet for a moment. Thinking. “You said you’ve contacted Wally and Tom?”

“What of it?”

You glare at the Ink Machine. “Wally designed this thing. Tom got it to work. I think we need their help if we want to understand it.”

Joey has you help him back into the living room. He sits at the desk and pulls out some stationary. “You’ve told me about Tom before. He doesn’t know anything. But Wally? That’s new.”

He writes the old man a letter, and you wait outside the Ink Machine with him until you get the reply back: it was meant to house a cartoon world inside it. He’ll fly out to take a look, but moving past the monsters should be a matter of creating a happy ending.

The moment you read that, you walk toward the door. “I don’t think I can die in there permanently, and our friends are still suffering. I’m going to try for a happy ending this time.”

[Joey wishes you luck.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40832183)


	258. Chapter 258

"Henry-"

"Yes?" you and Henry ask, both looking at Joey.

"Toon Henry," he clarifies. "I know you've got a big adjustment to make. Do you want some place to rest? My place isn't far from here. You and Bendy are welcome to stay a few nights."

"But I live with my Creator!" Bendy is looking at Joey with eyes the size of a shoe.

"He's me!" Henry bends to look your demon in the eye. "I'm not going anywhere, but I can't be around forever. He can. I want you to get used to living with him."

You lean toward the smaller Toon too. "Do you want some time to get used to me first? I know I'm based on him, but I'm not exactly the same man as our Creator."

"BUT YOU ARE MY CREATOR!" Bendy crosses his arms and looks away from the both of you.

You're never sure if it's you or your human counterpart who says it, but one of you replies, "We'll keep pressing on. You'll see. Things will be alright in

the end."

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	259. Chapter 259

"I find him a sympathetic character myself. Why should your audience believe I want him dead?" You take a breath. "You created me in hopes that I'd care for your Bendy. If it weren't for my wife, I'd have stayed to do that. Is there any way I could take my Bendy home with me instead?"

Joey nods. He's got that distant look in his brown eyes that you've seen millions of times in your own Joey. After a minute, he says, "I can't guarantee anything, but maybe if you found the right cut-out, we could end with you changing the Ink Demon back to a normal Toon."

Grinning, you approach the machine and turn the dial to _RESUME_. "I'm ready."

You ride through the dark inky tunnel and emerge in the studio's entrance. "Alright, Joey," you say. "I'm here. Let's see if we can find what you wanted me to see."

[You continue with the movie's script and bump your head in the cinema.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40832183)


	260. Chapter 260

"If that's how the audience feels, why not give them a bigger villain? Someone for me and the Ink Demon to team up against. Someone who's responsible for the Ink Demon's actions in the first place. You know, justify their feelings." You smile. "I wouldn't mind taking the Ink Demon home with me afterward. You did create me in hopes that I'd take care of Bendy."

Joey taps his fingers. "A villain bigger than Bendy-turned-evil? He's a demon, so it would have to be someone like the Devil himself."

"It could work, couldn't it?" You step closer.

Joey nods. "Some of the audience thinks there are hints of coercion already. But how to get you your happy ending, my friend?"

"Sure we'd be going up against the Devil, but with another devil on my side, I'd say we stand a chance." You lean on the machine. "Can you do it?"

He presses his lips together. "I'm not seeing it, but we can try. You'd have to either find Bendy's soul or be stupid enough to summon the Devil." He runs a hand through his hair. "We'll figure something out or we'll sort it in a sequel. Either way, we won't just abandon you. Can I send your regards to our Bendy?"

You nod. "I'm ready to go home."

[Joey turns the dial. "Back to the beginning then. Good luck."](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40832183)


	261. Chapter 261

"What about everyone else? I've seen the names on those coffins of characters who appear in the movie with me. Perhaps if you showed that the Ink Demon had something to do with their Undeath, your audience would understand why I..." You clench your fists. "...have to... kill... someone I ought to care about."

"Henry." Joey pulls a memo pad out of his pocket and scratches something down. "That happy ending of yours isn't a happy ending at all, is it? We'll scrap the script. We've still got two weeks, so I'm sure we can pull something off."

You stare at him. "Two weeks? Weren't you pressed on this script already?"

"Two weeks." Joey points his pen at him. "Mind you, when I say _we_ , I'm including you. You're going to have to drive the story to make this work. The Ink Demon's showing signs of sentience, but I can attempt to change his motivation and get rid of the coffins. Even if I succeed, you have to do the rest."

You blink, then, grinning, nod.

Joey's pen flies against the paper. "Let's see. Closest attempt so far that I think I can work with.... Do you remember any story lines where you saved Sammy from Bendy? Do it again and call Bendy out on his behavior. I can get your world's supernatural forces to give you a nasty, reversible, shock and place you right where you need to be. After that, you'll have to learn the truth about Bendy, avoid harming him, and go get my counterpart's spell book to undo the damage. Capiche?"

You nod. "Thanks. I'm counting on you."

Joey turns the dial, and you enter the dark, inky tunnel and restart your journey.

[You do as Joey suggested.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40859309)


	262. Chapter 262

"Your world is full of monsters. It's got to be destroyed." Henry sticks his hands in his pockets. "We'll get anyone you care about out of there, but we've got to create a new universe for my Toons inside that machine."

You glare at your counterpart. "Scrapping an idea is one thing, but destroying your innocent own creations after you find out we're alive? Would you ever do that to me or Bendy?"

"No!" He takes a breath. "Believe me, ending your world is the very last thing I want to do. I just don't see another way to get rid of the Ink Demon."

Grimacing, you turn to Joey. "You'll allow this?"

He crosses his arms. "Your world is just that studio. Every thing in there is suffering, thanks to the demon. Do you really want it to continue?

You shove your hands in your pockets. "You're sure the Ink Demon won't hang on to make it to the new world? He's got to be confronted, not just erased. Besides, many of your creations worship that thing. They'll have to know what happened. Let me go back in."

"Dad, don't go!"

Joey and Henry exchange looks over your head as you pat Bendy's.

"I've got to, bud," you say. "I'm doing this for you."

Joey's resting his hand on a fist. "Worship, you say?"

You nod.

"We can't just confront the Ink Demon then." Henry's grabbing a paper towel and heading toward the coffee table. "We'll have to replace him. How do you feel about taking on Bendy's form?"

"That might be easiest, but will I be able to change back?"

Your counterpart starts doodling on the paper towel. "Shape-shifting? I'll give it to you. You're getting a massive power-up when you return back home. We'll put on a little show for everyone else in there, but we'll need you there to keep tabs on them. Don't let it go to your head."

  


When Joey and Henry return you to your world, you're placed in the large room in front of the Heavenly Toys workshop. The Ink Demon is there with his throne, and several Lost Ones are peeking down from the stairs.

Physically, you're half the height you were, but you can see you have the gloved, four-fingered hands of a perfect Bendy.

The Ink Demon growls and charges at you.

You run.

He changes into his beast form. He smashes the Little Miracle Station behind you.

You look up to where you know the readings on the real Ink Machine ought to be. "I could use a little help about now!"

[You hope they can hear you.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40898795)


	263. Chapter 263

"We'll have to purge the machine's current world. We can bring everyone back in the next one without the Ink Demon being there."

You stand up. "No. You need him."

Everyone else in the room looks at you.

"He's not just gaining power from your fear - he's the personification of it. Huge. Out-of-control. And the world I come from is exactly what would happen if your magic got abused. Fear of that happening here is a good thing, but you need it smaller and healthier." You take a step toward your counterpart. "If you can get your fear under control, I can tame the Ink Demon. He's terrified and lashing out at everyone, but I think I've seen both goodness and sentience in there. We can't just kill him."

Henry's eyes narrow. "That is not true. The Ink Demon's a version of Bendy, and I'd never be afraid of him."

"Maybe not," says Joey, "but you are scared for him. And you're scared to perform the spell he needs."

Looking at Joey, you ask, "What spell?"

"Bendy doesn't need you. He needs him." He nods at Henry.

When you look over, Bendy is plodding toward your counterpart. "Dad?"

Henry recoils. "He said it again!"

"I told you he would! You are his creator, and having a Toon version of yourself running around could never change that." Joey spins his chair toward the door. He meets your eyes on the way out. "I'm sorry we pulled you out of your own world. It's time to send you back. I think there are people there that need you."

Bendy is crying.

"I'll be there in a moment." You kneel next to the little devil instead and put your arm around him. Taking a breath, you meet your creator's eye. "I do wish him the best, but he's yours, not mine. I can't take care of him. With any luck, I've got my own back home who needs me."

Henry's eyes go wide. "You can't be talking about the Ink Demon?"

You push Bendy toward your creator. "Go on, bud. He needs you."

Henry stiffens, and as Bendy wraps around his leg, inky veins trail into the room.

You spring to your feet. "Is he here?"

"Dad!"

The ink is wrapping around Bendy's foot. Henry lifts him up and clutches him to his chest. "I've got you."

The ink keeps coming.

"Focus on the fact that you can save him! Try to calm down. I'm going after the Ink Demon." You run from the room. "Is he here?"

"Not yet." Joey's backing away from the machine. "But he's coming."

You release a breath. "I can calm the demon. Get me inside and talk some sense into Henry. That should take care of this."

Joey reaches for a lever.

You melt into a puddle and enter the dark tunnel. When you emerge, you splash out of a Bendy statue in the heart of the ink machine.

The Ink Demon's there in his beast form, but he hasn't noticed you yet. He's roaring at a window-like hole on the ceiling, through which you can see Joey closing a door.

You force yourself to close your eyes and breathe. "Bendy?"

The demon turns.

You're trembling, but you take another breath and fake a smile. "Hello, Bendy. We're alright."

The demon charges.

You press yourself into a corner. "I admit I'm terrified, but we can handle this!"

He grabs you. He chokes you to death.

You come back.

His back is to you. "I know you want to keep me safe. You've got a funny way of doing so, but thank you."

Bendy turns, growling. He snatches "The End" off his throne and holds it away from you.

You hold your hands up. "Are you scared we're out to get rid of you?"

He crushes the reel. Its pieces rattle on the ground.

After silently counting to three, you look him in the face. "That's not what I'm here for, buddy." You hold out a hand. "I'm keeping you. Will you listen?"

He growls and bares his teeth.

"Thank you for showing me exactly what could happen. You're absolutely right. I needed to know."

Going quiet, Bendy snatches you and holds you to his chest.

You tremble and struggle to breathe. You close your eyes and remind yourself why you're confronting this beast. Stroking the demon's chest you say, "Hey, buddy, thanks for keeping me safe. I'll take care of us from here."

He squeezes you into the tunnel. You reemerge to his screeching, but he's down to his eight-foot form. He rushes to you and pounds a fist beside your head.

You flinch. You force your eyes back open. "Do you know what you are?"

He nods.

"And what I am?"

This he answers by pulling you to his chest. His arms lock behind you.

His ink is slimy and cold. Your skin crawls, but you return his embrace. "I know. I love you too. I want you healthy, understood? I'm taking that excess magic within you."

He hisses as he tightens his hold.

You push away. "It's an experiment. I expect it to make us happier, but if not, I'll give it back. What do you have to lose?"

He clings.

"Let go!" You push him to the floor. You step forward and put a hand to his horn. "I'm taking the magic."

The power flows into you like a sip of chamomile tea while Bendy shrinks into a life-sized version of the character you used to draw. He stares at you, jaw dropped.

You smile. "I knew you were in there somewhere. Feeling better?"

He nods, but he looks down at his hands. "I turned into a monster on you. I feel like I might change back at any moment."

You put your hand under his head and pull his face up until you can meet his eyes. "I think we're both parts of Henry Stein's mind, which means you can't be a monster. You're just his fear. You're important. But I'm not letting you out of control again. I need you to be a look-out, and that's it. Anything beyond that, and I'll let you know." You put him on your shoulders. "Ready to see if this world has a home for us outside the studio?"

"You want to take me home with you?"

"Of course."

Bendy presses his cheek against yours. You can feel his cheeks pushed up in his grin. "Ready!"

You take the elevator. It's got a new button that goes to the ground floor. When you walk to the exit, the hole is repaired and the door is open.

A snowy blanket greets you as you crunch toward your car, and together, you and Bendy drive to a happy

End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	264. Chapter 264

You walk over to Henry. "Starting immediately, I'll help calm your fears. I'm staying."

[He grins.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41467775)


	265. Chapter 265

When you come to, you’re being set down in something wood. You crack your eyes open and groan.

Something moves in front of your face. It’s Henry’s hand. “Oh, thank goodness. I was really getting worried.”

“Dad?”

He rubs his fingers against your cheek. “I’m going to get you out of here, and then I’ll help you find your family. Okay?”

You close your eyes.

“Hey! Don’t be falling back asleep on me right now. You have got to stay awake!”

Halfheartedly, you open your eyes back up.

Henry pulls you out of the Little Miracle Station. “Okay. Maybe it’s not the best idea to leave you anywhere right now. I can’t bring you with me to sneak past the Butcher Gang.”

“Where’s Boris?”

Henry helps you limp past some shelves. “Maybe there’s a way through the haunted house without turning it on? What do you think of that?”

You grunt.

He brings you along. You really don’t feel like yourself until he has you drink some bacon soup though. You blink at the empty can. “What did Joey put in this?”

“Knowing him, he probably filled the cans with magic. It would explain why he thought he could market the soup as a super food.”

Somewhere nearby, a speaker crackles. _“Feeding your little brat? Well, if meal time’s over, I have a little_ surprise _for you.”_

Henry tenses. A moment later, Boris bursts into the room. But it’s not the Boris you remember: he’s large and stitched together from different pieces like Frankenstein’s monster. His eyes are crossed out, and he’s obeying Alice’s orders. Henry pushes you under the organ. “Keep hidden. I’ll distract him.”

The fight is horrible to watch, and you can’t help your creator or your friend. You haven’t felt this powerless since Joey chained you inside the Ink Machine, and you’ve never felt so useless. It’s too long until the fight is over and Henry is standing over the body, which is being claimed by ink. You go out and join him.

Alice rushes Henry. He’s only saved when she’s impaled by a second Alice and her Boris clone friend.

  


They take you prisoner, and you’re with them for months before they decide to trust you and Henry. You become allies then, on Henry’s quest to shut down the Ink Machine for good. The four of you take some paddle boats down the river.

There’s a door Alice and the Boris clone, Tom, want to take, but a giant hand chases you away. You head to the inky village instead. You’re all attacked there, and the adults make you wait by the pier until it’s safe.

After that, it’s up to your dad to lead the way. He leads you into a hallway that’s nothing but single planks on loose beams.

He plunges below. Alice ties a rope around the sturdier planks and you follow him down one by one.

You don’t catch up with him until he’s in the film vault. What is he doing down here? Doesn’t he know Joey sold all your episodes for cash? Or is he after the one reel you had to move to your lair for your own protection? You sniffle.

“Looks like whatever was here was taken long ago.”

Henry turns around. “How did you get down here?”

“It pays to carry a rope.”

Henry meets your eyes. “I don’t think we need it anyway. I think someone left us a plan to destroy the Ink Demon, but we just need to shut down the machine.”

You cross your arms and turn away.

“Ben?” Alice asks.

That’s the name they’ve been calling you. Henry won’t let you use your full name. You don’t look at Alice though. You pout.

Henry turns you around and lifts your ear to his mouth. “I promise I’m not after ‘The End.’”

You glare at him. “So you do know who I am. Why won’t you let me call you Dad then? Am I not good enough for you, _Creator?_ ”

“What are you two talking about?” Alice and Tom were moving in.

You gulp.

“He’s just a confused kid.”

Tom grips his ax and nudges Alice.

“Is his name really Ben?” she asks. “Ben what?”

“Ben Barlos.”

You make a face and look up at Henry. He puts a hand on your head. “Have you never heard it before?”

All you can do is stare at him.

He’s looking at your allies. “He used to be part of the ink. I’m not completely sure how he turned human again, but thanks to him, I know it’s possible. At least, if you were still alive when it claimed you.”

Is he stupid? You itch to call him out on it, but with two armed clones that hate the Ink Demon right beside you, you know how well the truth would go over.

He smiles at you. “Still, he used to spend a lot of time down here. Ben, do you know the best place to go to shut off the Ink Machine?”

“It’s behind the wall of Joey’s office.” You cross your arms. “We need to talk, just you and me.”

Your allies give you odd looks, but they let you and Henry stay just outside the office while they hack through the wall. You scowl at him. “Ben Barlos? What sort of name is Ben Barlos? And why’d you tell them they can be changed back?”

He puts a hand on your shoulder. “I’m sorry. It took a while to get the truth out of Joey, but you were never as soulless as everyone thought.”

“Well, duh! Look at me. Do I look soulless?”

He sighs. “I meant you had a human soul all along. You are human. You always were. You wouldn’t remember. You were… young… when Joey handed you over to his gods. Just a baby.”

You take a minute to absorb that. “Joey told you that?”

“Better than told me.” He cups your cheek. “Your birth certificate gives your full name as Bendy Drew Barlos. You deserve better. You might have an uncle or a grandma who will love you. For now… don’t tell anyone your full name, okay?”

You nod.

A chittering comes from up the hall. The Butcher Gang are after you.

Henry hurries you into Joey’s office and closes the door. “We’ve got company.”

Tom and Alice already have the wall demolished. While they’re taking care of the Butcher Gang members, they task Henry with finding equipment with which to pry at the broken lever on the soul catcher, and you are left inside your birth dad’s office alone.

You kick his desk. “Why’d you have to be a jerk?”

It’s not long until the adults shut off the Ink Machine, but Tom and Allison remain inky. Henry makes good on his promise to get you out of the studio.

As soon as you’re out of earshot of your dad’s other former employees, you tug on Henry’s sleeve.

“Hm?” He looks at you.

“Look. I know my dad isn’t a nice person and people won’t like me for it, but you don’t mind, do you?”

He blinks. “That’s not- Where are you going with this?”

“How do you know I have an uncle or a grandma who will love me?” You let the tears fill your eyes. “You’re nice to me. I want you to be my new dad.”

Henry rubs your head. “I wish I could. You’ve got family. They’ve got more claim on you than I do.”

“But you’re the one who saved me. If I’ve got family, where were they?”

He pats your head.

Your mother’s family drops you back with Joey Drew. You run away. You tell the first person you meet that your name is Ben Stein and you need help getting back to your dad.

You’re brought to the police station. At first, it looks like they’re going to return you to Joey, but he’s in legal trouble over the studio. They take you to an orphanage instead.

You steal a phone book and look up Henry Stein. This time, he agrees to take you.

It’s a long road to adoption, but you end up happy in

The End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	266. Chapter 266

You grin at your dad. It takes you a bit to figure out the changes to your teleportation ability, but all it takes is one portal outside for you to be free of the studio. Out there in the human world, you live with your dad for the rest of his life. But you are a demon, and thus your life has no

End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	267. Chapter 267

You reach up and feel them yourself. They’re hard, and smaller than you remember. Sharp too. “I thought they made me human. Guess not.”

He stares at you.

You tug on his hand. “Do you believe me now? We’re stuck down here, and that mean Alice took Boris, and she’s gonna hurt him! You have to know what to do ‘cause you’re my dad!” As you speak, dark undertones seep into your voice. Your hands grip his tighter.

“Your eyes are red!”

“Are they?” You tug on his hands again. Your nails dig into his flesh. “We have to go!”

“Bendy, you’re hurting me.”

It’s the first time he’s called you Bendy since you were still a Toon. You release his hand. Yours have grown claws. “We’ve got to save Boris!”

He starts walking. “Keep close. I don’t want to risk splitting up.”

You run after him. “Does this mean you believe me now?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I do.”

Your dad gets the idea to open the vault door by looking for the valve. It turns up in Grant Cohen’s office of crazy.

You follow along as he treks to Bendy Land, and it’s a good thing you do: your dad doesn’t have a weapon. You might not be as powerful in this new little form, but you can grow claws when you really feel threatened. It saves you both against the Butcher Gang.

When you reach attraction storage, the Projectionist is wandering around in a flood of ink. Your dad tries to have you hide inside a Little Miracle Station, but it burns your hand and you hiss. “I’m not sitting in that thing!”

He puts you on his shoulders. “We’ll have to sneak past him together.”

The plan works at first, but the Projectionist spots you on your way back. Your dad runs. He turns the corner, but the vault door is shut in front of you.

You narrow your eyes at it. “Who closed us in?”

Your creator drops you to the floor and places himself between you and the Projectionist. The monster grabs his throat.

You growl, and your voice regains those darker layers. You dig your claws into the monster’s leg.

It drops your dad, who lays gasping for breath.

The Projectionist slams you against the wall. Something black and sticky drips over your eyes.

You don’t even think. You leap on the Projectionist’s chest and tear off his head.

Smash!

You spin around.

Your creator inches away from you. You push him aside and tear the door from its hinges. It clangs to the floor.

The blackness thickens. You sway. You fall into a pair of warm hands.

  


When you come to, something’s wrapped around your head and you’re being held in a warm lap. You’re moving.

You open your eyes. A cardboard ghost pops out from behind a tombstone. That corrupted Alice is asking your dad why he’s here. You sit up.

“How are you feeling?”

You rub your head. “It’s a bit sore, but the pain’s fading quickly.”

“Injury is not how I want you to get your Ink Demon abilities back.”

You blink. “Huh?”

“Don’t you remember? When you were the Ink Demon, you always rushed in to….” Henry stares at you. “You don’t remember, do you? Never mind. Point is, I think you still have your powers.”

You try calling your claws, but it doesn’t work. You still have your powers? It sure would be nice if you could rely on them in such a dangerous place.

Henry grabs a can of bacon soup as you ride past. “Drink this.”

At the end of the room, you get a nasty surprise: Alice has turned Boris into a Frankenstein-type monster, and he’s been brainwashed into attacking you and Henry.

You help him fight, but you both get injured. You’re injured enough that only one up to saving you from a furious Alice is… Alice?

You peer at her. “I know there are a lot of lost souls in this place, but I don’t know who you are. Please say you’re the actual Alice from my show.”

Henry grabs you to his side, but he doesn’t say a word as he stares at the Alice and Boris who rescued you. They stare back. Alice is narrowing her eyes. “I thought I heard something about the Ink Demon.”

“He’s confused. That’s all.”

You can tell that your rescuers really don’t like you, but Henry convinces them to leave you be. For now. They take the both of you and board you into a part of a room.

There’s a cot in there. Your creator sits on it and holds you on his lap. “I think this Boris is Thomas Connor, a mechanic that worked on the ink machine. And this Alice is his wife, maiden name Allison Pendle. She was one of Alice’s voice actors. Have you heard of them?”

You nod. “Joey experimented on _everyone,_ didn’t he? We’re the only ones still alive. Well, maybe the other Toons. I hope. If he brought them to life for real.”

Henry raises a brow. “I’ve found some of my coworkers’ coffins, but how do you figure that?”

You tell him about what you know of the ink machine. Specifically, you tell him about the part of it that traps the souls of the dead.

He cradles you. He doesn’t speak another word until Tom and Allison have gone to bed.

At that point, you’re curled up on the cot, trying to get some rest yourself. He shakes you. “Hey buddy, I need you to wake up.”

You glare at him. “Can’t a demon get any sleep around here?”

“Not when he’s in danger.”

You sit up and peer around the cell.

[Henry shakes his head. “It’s Tom and Allison. They’ve helped me out down here before, and I understand why they’ve locked us up. I… regret having to leave them in the studio, but I really don’t know what they’ll do to you when they decide you are the Ink Demon. We have to escape. Can we figure out how to access your powers?”](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43885048)


	268. Chapter 268

You reach up and touch them yourself. They’re soft and they jiggle. “Ink?”

“I’m afraid so.” He brings you along to go after Boris, but he makes you hide in the Little Miracle Stations for all the dangerous parts.

If you weren’t so scared for your dad, you would have giggled – you’ve never been able to touch one of these without getting burned before!

Henry handles himself fine though. He’s safe. At least, until the moment when an Alice and a Boris clone wander by and whisper to each other about the whirring, clicking noises the Projectionist is making inside Attraction Storage. They close the vault door, which would have been fine if Henry weren’t in there.

You spring from the Little Miracle Station. “Wait! You’ve got to open that back up. My dad is in there.”

They turn, drawing their weapons. Alice’s eyes widen when she looks down at you. She sheaves her weapon. “It’s alright. It’s just a kid.”

The Boris points to your horns.

You point to the door. “My dad is in there. If he can’t get out, the monster will kill him!”

Alice puts a hand on Boris’s arm. “It’s at least worth a look.”

Huffing, Boris punches the door open and peers through. The next moment, he’s running in. There’s a scuffle. There’s a scream. He comes out with your dad.

Alice puts her hands on her hips. “What were you doing? There’s nothing in there but the switch to the power. Were you trying to turn the attractions on? Were you trying to get _his_ attention?”

He blinks. “Maybe. If it distracts that other Alice, yes. She took our friend for her experiments.”

They lock you both inside the closet with the Bendy costumes. You pound on the door and demand to be let out.

Henry pulls you away. “They’re good. They won’t just leave us to starve in here. They’ll move us somewhere they can keep a better eye on us. They just don’t trust us is all. Since they didn’t take us back to their hideout right away, I’d say they’re going to check on Boris.”

“You really think so?”

He nods. He takes you by the shoulders. “There’s only one reason I can think of why I haven’t seen the Ink Demon at all this run.”

What does he mean _this run?_

“Were you telling me the truth earlier? When you told me you’re Bendy. Are you the Ink Demon?”

He figured it out. Throwing your arms around him, you say, “You recognize me now! Hiya, Dad!”

He’s silent. He’s silent when the Alice and Boris clones come back and report the other clones dead. He’s silent when they take you deeper underground. He’s silent as they board you into a small room with just a cot.

You try to get him to talk. He doesn’t. Not even as he’s looking at you from over whatever he’s sketching.

You join him at his paper.

It’s you. He’s sketching you.

You grin. “You do still love me!”

He’s still silent.

Your grin slips. “Don’t you?”

He frowns. “I’m trying to figure you out.”

You sulk. You were so sure he’d love you. He doesn’t. In this form, you can’t even protect him. This body the gods gave you. Is it really a blessing? Or is it a curse?

  


Over several long – what is it now: weeks? months? years? – of being locked in the same room with him, he warms up to you. Your captors are friendlier too.

Or at least, Alice is. Tom is at least tolerable.

They still keep you locked up. But at some point, they stop claiming it’s because they’re not sure if they can trust you not to attack them and start claiming it’s just until your dad can get the notion out of his head to go and do something so dangerously stupid as to poke around the Ink Machine. (“Are you crazy? The Ink Demon’s lair is down there.” “So? When was the last time you saw him active?”)

Because you take your dad’s side, they keep you locked up with him. But Alice will let Henry lift you out of the cell to run around sometimes, and Tom will roll his eyes.

It’s not until the day the military shows up that you get out of there. The year is 2019. You don’t know why your dad has a hard time with that, but you give him a hug anyway. It’s then that he tells you his home is long since gone.

Henry’s still got his human flesh, but it’s ink running through his veins. He’s an ink creature. Just like everyone else. Including you.

With your looks and Henry’s, you’re able to step foot in human society for short amounts of time. Your dad whispers that people will notice that you’re not aging if you spend longer. It really is up to your rescuers to figure out an answer.

The answer they come up with? Employ you as superheroes. You and your dad are a team.

Heh. Joey Drew never did get around to making that sort of an episode. Might as well enjoy this life until it comes to its

End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	269. Chapter 269

Your dad passes out when you hit the bottom. You and Boris run to him. You don’t even notice the angel’s presence until Boris is gone.

You turn and run after them, but the vault door slams shut in front of you, and it doesn’t have a valve. Prying it open with your bare hands doesn’t work nearly as well as it did when you were the Ink Demon either.

With no other way to save your friend, you go back to your dad and curl up on yourself. “Please, don’t die. Not now that you’ve found me.”

It’s several minutes before he stirs, but stir he does. “Dad!”

“I’m not your dad.” He pushes himself up, and you help him all the way to his feet. Then he blinks at you. “You weren’t hurt in that crash?”

You shake your head. “Was I supposed to be? I’m not an old man like you.”

Henry reaches out and pulls a plastic headband with fake horns from your head. His eyes widen. “There are horns under your horns.”

[Click here if you both danced and told your story to try to prove your identity.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43885105)  
[Click here if you did one or the other.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43885168)


	270. Chapter 270

Henry is nice, but he keeps treating you like some lost kid as you spend the next few days at Boris’s. He keeps you close the day you run out of food and have to leave the safe house.

It’s awful. There’s that creepy version of Alice who’s got the dead Toons in her lair, and she makes your dad do stuff for her. He leaves you on the elevator to “keep Boris from being afraid.” You know he’s just keeping you away from the danger, but you appreciate it. It’s not like you could defend anyone as a human child.

At one point, Alice asks him to take an ax and chop up your cut-outs. You try to peer into his eyes to see if you – you as a cartoon character – still mean anything to him, but he just looks tired. You tug on his shirt. “Dad, are you really going to cut me to pieces for her?”

He bends down. “Kid, I don’t know who you are, but you are not him.”

You should have expected that. “Are you really going to cut your own creation to pieces for her?”

“They’re just cut-outs. They’re not worth us being trapped in this he- awful place.” He prods you toward the back of elevator. “I’ll be back soon, okay?”

You wait. When your creator comes back, he’s got a Bendy plush, which he squeaks and hands to you. “You can keep this.”

You hug it.

After your dad runs a few more errands for the twisted angel, she sabotages the elevator. You, your dad, and Boris all plummet toward the studio depths.

[Click here if you tried to prove who you are.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43885252)  
[Click here if you did not.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43884943)


	271. Chapter 271

You reach behind you, but your hand finds only air. You reach again. And again.

Henry is watching you, arms folded.

“I can’t find my radio!”

He presses his lips together. “You really believe you’re my cartoon character, don’t you?”

You put your hand in the air in front of you and mime grabbing something the size of a radio. “All I’ve ever had to do to get something I’ve held onto was reach behind me like this, remember the thing, and pull.”

When you pull your hand down, a flurry of flames surrounds it, and you’re left holding the inky radio. You drop it. “Gah!”

“How’d you do that?” Henry kneels down and reaches for you. He puts a hand to your hair and grabs something on your head. He pulls off a plastic headband with fake horns on it, but his eyes grow wide. “You have horns under your horns.”

You feel them with your own hand. They’re smaller and rougher than you remember, and the edges are sharp. “And here I was thinking Joey’s gods made me human.”

Henry raises an eyebrow at you. “I think you’d better explain what you mean.”

You tell him the whole story. You have a rough time talking about most of it, but it’s okay because your creator brings you onto his lap and holds you to his chest.

For some time, he holds you in silence. In that time, Boris makes you all bacon soup.

When you’re calm, Henry leans toward your ear. “Everyone trapped here was somehow involved in making you. Can you help me set them free?”

You shake your head. “I may be a demon, but I don’t know how to do that.”

[“Then can you get us out of here?”](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43885048)


	272. Chapter 272

It’s difficult for you to tell, but you give your creator your life story. He holds you in his lap.

As you’re finishing, he and Boris exchange looks.

“You didn’t just wander in, did you? You’ve been here a while.” Henry rubs your head. “I’m sorry that Joey messed with your head so badly.”

[After all that, he still doesn’t believe you.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43885315)


	273. Chapter 273

You have to imagine a tune for yourself to dance to, but you show off a skillful little jig.

You imagine Henry’s silence means he still doesn’t believe you, so you…

[…wait for him to figure it out himself.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43885315)  
[…call all your bad memories back to tell him why you asked the gods to make you human.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43885438)


	274. Chapter 274

“I am Bendy!” you shout. “I’ll prove it.”

[Click here if you put a radio in your hammer space earlier.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43885402)  
[Click here if you did not.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43885510)


	275. Chapter 275

Sammy leads you toward a lift that he says goes all the way down. However, when you round the corner, you spot Bendy waiting for that lift, so you and Sammy sneak away.

He grabs your hand and walks you through some walls instead. It leaves you panting and your body aching.

His head tilts toward you. "Are you alright? You seem... weakened."

"I'm not meant to do that. Just give me a minute." As you rest, you think up a game plan for confronting the demon.

You're down on the lowest level, past the door inside the vault, and you've been here hundreds of times with Tom and Allison.

They could never cross the ink, and you're sure Sammy won't be able to either. Still, you need to do something different than every other time to have a chance of escaping, so you ask Sammy to...

[...sing loudly enough to distract Bendy.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40836050)  
[...be your eyes and ears elsewhere in the studio.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40838963)  
[...give you a weapon.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40858625)


	276. Chapter 276

As you walk through the halls, you notice yellow arrows on the floor. It seems you don't need the seeing tool anymore. When you reach the throne room, you see a new message behind the throne:

[_PUP-_](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40869146)  
[a five-pointed star embedded in a circle with an outline of Bendy's head in the center.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40884785)  
[_WHY?_](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40910102)


	277. Chapter 277

You follow the signs to the lift and push the button for Level K. Sammy's on your side, but is he up here yet? Boris probably is. Or there's an exit you could use if Sammy isn't here.

You try...

[...to find Sammy.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41106080)  
[...to find anyone willing to help.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41170652)  
[...the exit.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41392316)


	278. Chapter 278

You don't have to go far: a bit of poking around, and you see signs to the administrative lift. They lead you through a hall where you've seen Bendy limping past you and Tom thousands of times - the hall lined with windows.

They can also show your reflection of course, and they're much clearer than any other mirrors you've seen in the studio.

The only problem is that they're a little above your head, but finding a chair to drag in fixes that.

Your eyes widen as you look in the glass - you were half-expecting the white face and pie-cut eyes, but that mouth and those horns? You're Bendy! You're perfect Bendy.

And judging by the pounding heart and inky veins approaching from the lift, the other Bendy is heading your way.

You...

[...run back to the ink machine and enter the throne room.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41394140)  
[...hide until the Ink Demon passes.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41394317)


	279. Chapter 279

You need a syringe from Alice, so you separate from Sammy and perform Alice’s errands until she assigns you to collect extra-thick ink.

You stab yourself in the arm with it.

“You are quite the character, aren’t you?” Alice asks through the intercom. “Using your own ink? How noble. How foolish. Return to me!”

You walk to the stairs instead. There’s a niche there with instruments, where you’ve planned a rendezvous with Sammy.

“Did you get it?”

You show him the syringe. He shows you a space he’s set up for you to hide: behind the bass drum.

You crouch there as he picks up a violin and starts playing. It doesn’t take long for Bendy’s ink trails to cover the walls.

“My Lord, I am ready.”

Barely a second later, Sammy starts gasping. You jump out and inject your ink into Bendy’s thigh.

The demon drops Sammy and falls onto the floor. He writhes, his hands covering his horns.

“My Lord?”

You bend down to the suffering Toon and put a hand on his back. It’s warm and sticky. “I’m sorry. How do we help you?”

Bendy hisses and curls up. Ink trickles off him.

You can’t think how why it’s doing that, let alone how to stop it.

It slows. It cools. Bendy is left as skeletal as ever, but his horns and bow tie are straight, his face is clear, and his mouth is opening. “Thank you.”

His voice is deeper than you remember.

“Are you free, my Lord?”

Bendy props himself up. “I’m free, but I am no one’s lord. To call myself otherwise would be to blaspheme against our real-world creators.”

Sammy tilts his head. “Perhaps you are confused. You-”

You tune the musician out as you help Bendy to his feet. “You’re aware of them too.”

He nods. “I’m Bendy’s full-grown counterpart. Since you’re Henry’s, will you help me get settled, out in the rest of our world?”

“Of course. You’re my son.” You hug him.

There’s a boom. Sammy is standing by the bass drum. “Am I correct in assuming your minds are so far gone that you won’t set us free? Perhaps we should have used my ink instead to avoid spreading your delusions to the Ink Demon.”

You exchange looks with Bendy. He’s raising his brow line. “The fourth wall’s firmly in place for Slimy.”

Sammy steps closer to the two of you. “Slimy?”

You ignore him to speak to Bendy instead. “We’ve got to finish this episode. How should we do that? Get everyone out of here and converge on Joey Drew’s house?”

He grins.

You all do just that. It’s a relief when you see in the night sky two words:

The End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	280. Chapter 280

Sammy allows you to leave the studio to get the acetone. When you return, it all goes according to plan: you luring the demon to the art department and climbing out of his reach with the acetone while Sammy gathers people to be freed. That is, it all goes according to plan until Bendy starts melting more than expected.

He even screams.

“Just hang in there. We’re trying to save you!”

Bendy chokes out a sob before he meets the floor.

You climb down. “What do you need? Fresh ink?” There’s got to be some around here.

[But there isn’t. Bendy is reaching for you, but by the time you get back to him…](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/42733862)


	281. Chapter 281

You spend days searching the studio for some acetone. While looking through the cabinets in administration, you find something disturbing: a letter written to Joey Drew from someone named Fannie Barlos.

Just scanning Fannie’s tight cursive tells you that it’s about a baby that she and Joey had, and that she’s another that Joey had duped: she thought that Joey might be interested in the baby for at least having an heir, should he never have a legitimate child. But what Joey’s written in large letters at the top of the letter indicates otherwise: A LIVING SACRIFICE OF MY OWN FLESH AND BLOOD MIGHT BE EXACTLY WHAT THE GODS WANT FOR A MACHINE THAT CAN CREATE NEW LIFE.

Clipped to the letter is a birth certificate for Bendy Drew Barlos. With a name like that, you suspect Fannie was trying to butter Joey up.

If only it had worked. You feel sick.

There’s a thumping sound approaching. Ink starts to cover the walls. You hide under a desk and watch the Ink Demon limp past.

It couldn’t be, could it?

With the new information available to you, you’d better….

[…hurry with the acetone.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/44148313)  
[…go get an exorcist instead.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43663025)


	282. Chapter 282

You need a syringe from Alice, so you separate from Sammy and perform Alice’s errands until she assigns you to collect extra-thick ink. Sammy is busy several floors up, collecting the hidden bucket of invisible ink that you told him about.

You meet back up with him in a stairway niche filled with instruments, where you fill the syringe with your special ink.

Sammy says he’ll lure the Ink Demon here, and you should hide until he’s distracted with him. He has you hide behind the bass drum. He picks up a violin, tunes it, and strums it loudly. It doesn’t take long for Bendy’s ink trails to cover the walls.

“My Lord, I am ready.”

Barely a second later, Sammy starts gasping. You jump out.

Bendy is strangling Sammy with the Seeing Tool. He doesn’t notice you, so you’re clear to inject the special ink into his thigh.

The demon drops Sammy and falls onto the floor. The Seeing Tool smashes, and the demon writhes, his hands covering his horns.

“My Lord?”

You bend down to the suffering Toon and put a hand on his back. It’s warm and sticky. “I’m sorry. How do we help you?”

Bendy hisses and curls up. Ink trickles off him.

You can’t think how why it’s doing that, let alone how to stop it. Then all at once, there’s nothing left of Bendy except an inky puddle.

You sob, but a warm hand is rested on your shoulder. “I’m sorry about your creation.”

It’s Sammy. He’s back to his human self, and the decrepit studio is back to being real wood. Its rot hits your nose.

Sammy takes his hand off your shoulder and offers it to you instead. “Come. We should get out of this death trap.”

As you’re leaving the building, you pass several corpses. There are other survivors though: outside, you find a crowd of ink-soaked people standing confused by a busy street and bright, colored lights.

You hardly recognize the street yourself.

Something cold grabs your hand. There’s no one there. It must be one of Joey’s dead victims.

The police have to come sort you out, but they get you all back to your families. They thought you had died.

Linda thought you had died. She’s moved on with another man. She gets your marriage annulled.

You get yourself a new job and a new apartment, but you’re left to grow old by yourself. You don’t even mind your things moving on their own or frequent ghostly touches as long as you have a semblance of company. It’s hard for an old man like you to be by himself after all, and you’re not exactly getting any younger.

The studio took a toll on your health that’s catching up with you, now that it’s curse isn’t in place. Your limbs ache with invisible scars, and your throat burns sometimes when you take a breath. You keep pressing onward, even attempting home repair projects yourself.

One day, you’re patching a ceiling with the first roll of duct tape you’ve had in years, when you fall off the ladder. Moments later, a cold hand is pressing itself to your chest. You close your eyes. “Thanks. Neither of us are up for calling an ambulance, so I’ll see you soon.”

The cold hand disappears. You hear something being set on the floor. Opening your eyes, you turn your head just enough to see that shattered old Seeing Tool, being pieced back together with duct tape.

Your ghostly friend offers the tool to you.

“What am I supposed to see here?”

You see it on taking the tool: there is a golden arm with a white-gloved hand that had given it to you. You move the box and find a small golden demon crying for you. “Oh, Bendy, buddy. I’m sorry I didn’t know it was you.”

He hiccoughs. You feel his hand back on your chest.

You put your free hand on it. “At least now I have a chance to say it: I love you. I want to make sure there’s someone to take care of you after I go, so please, take this to Sammy. He should be able to figure out what happened.”

Bendy nods before he takes the Seeing Tool back. He stays there to comfort you as you slip to your

End 

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	283. Chapter 283

Immediately, adrenaline and strength and all things good flood your body. You don't have room to contain it all, so you grow until you match the Ink Demon's beastly stature.

He leaps on you, but physically, you're an even match, and in terms of cleverness, you've got the advantage. You smash the walls and the throne as you wrestle around, rolling until you've pinned Bendy to the floor.

Bendy bites at your horn, and you bash his head. His body melts into a puddle. His spirit is in front of you, digging his fingers into whatever of the floor will give. His ankle is being pulled by a thick, heavy chain.

_You had your chance to watch over the domain we granted Joey Drew._

It's just a whisper, but you swear you know that voice.

_You weren't worthy of it. Henry got our attention, so we made him the new Bendy._

Another tug jolts the ink demon backward, and he drops through a trap door, straight into a burning pit. It closes behind him.

Your eyes widen. You’d never heard those voices inside this studio itself before, but those are-

 _Appeased we may be,_ say the "gods" of the studio, _but we're always watching._

Everything goes quiet, and you stand stunned for a moment. You suppose there's only one thing to do: carry on. With your new role, you're trapped here more effectively than ever, but at least the previous demon's reign of terror has come to

The End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	284. Chapter 284

You wish him luck before he heads to the nearest broadcast room, and you wade into the inky moat yourself.

You hide behind the rock with a dead Chester on it until Bendy comes out to investigate the male part of "Siren Serenade." When he's past, you climb in and enter his throne room.

Skipping Joey's tape, you pick up The End. You turn it over, trying to figure out what's so special about it. You don't see any pentagrams or special ink. You'd never seen anything but the actual end playing either.

Knowing Joey, the answer is probably symbolic.

The show ended, but in your heart, it never did.

"I've got to let go of this," you say, "or start it over."

You know Sammy can't buy you much time, so with what you've got on hand, you...

[...record over Joey's message with some sentiments of your own to verbally let the old days go.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40836869)  
[...play _The End_ and say "goodbye."](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40837436)  
[...go back to the beginning so you can ask Joey if you can restart the studio with him.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40838228)


	285. Chapter 285

You glance at your ally. "This would be so much easier if I knew when Bendy's around. Any way you could be my eyes and ears?"

He shakes his head. "I can't, but I can do you one better." He raises his fingers to his ink and pulls off whistling without a mouth.

A cut-out peeks around the corner and pops out. It grins at you.

You blink.

When you open your eyes, it's standing an arms-length from you, and Sammy hasn't moved.

You stumble back. "They can move on their own!"

"Just the one." Sammy bends closer to the image. "I thought you moved under the Ink Demon's power, but that's not the case, is it?"

The cut-out keeps its same grin.

Sammy points to you. "See him? That's Henry. He's your creator. The nice one. Not the one who doomed us all to... this. Will you watch his back for me?"

The cut-out hops around Sammy and leans against you. You...

[...are glad to have it along.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40839587)  
[...are somewhat mistrustful of the cut-out, but accept its help anyway.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40854890)  
[...would rather refuse its help.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40858457)


	286. Chapter 286

He crosses his arms. "There's no weapon I could possibly give you that could hurt the Ink Demon. Besides, haven't you noticed he's sometimes more hostile when you have a weapon than when you don't?"

With his denying you immediately, you...

[...ask him to sing loudly enough to distract Bendy instead.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40836050)  
[...ask him to be your eyes and ears instead.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40838963)  
[...insist anyway.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40859102)


	287. Chapter 287

The word appears half-finished. Now why would the Ink Demon of all people be unable to finish a thought?

You look around for clues to the rest of the sentence. Seeing nothing, you decide to listen to Joey's tape for a reminder of the audio.

It's the same as always, but you were just behind the throne and the Ink Demon wasn't there. Yet, his hand still grabs the chair's back as the tape ends. You...

[...run to see how he did that. Maybe there's a secret exit.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40870268)  
[...hurry to play _The End_.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40885058)  
[...attack while he's still transforming.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40885370)


	288. Chapter 288

Why have a pentagram here?

Something growls in the entrance. It's Bendy. You...

[...run.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40898090)  
[...jump on the pentagram.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40898795)  
[...use the pentagram to summon something to distract him.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40899224)


	289. Chapter 289

Something growls behind you.

You dodge Bendy's charging beast form, but you trip over chains in the process. Your ankle hurts.

To buy yourself some time, you ask, "Why what, Bendy?"

Or you try to. You have no mouth, but Bendy snarls at your question anyway.

He grabs you and squeezes your throat. _Why? Why is it sometimes I'm trying to help you, and sometimes I want you dead?_

Gasping, you pry at his fingers. His grip tightens.

_Why does this loop always mean the two of us kill each other?_

Your vision is going black.

_Why do I only know about this from your messages? Why don't I remember this myself?_

You plunge into the ink tunnel. It leads you out, back inside the machine.

Catching your breath, you look around for the Ink Demon. He's standing in the doorway, and suddenly he charges.

You run. He catches you. This time, his claws dig into your chest, mingling his ink with your blood.

_If only I had someone who cares for me. Then I think I could be stable. But you're my creator, and YOU ABANDONED ME!_

Once again, you're in the tunnel. When you respawn, Bendy's throne is within sprinting distance, and the devil is behind you. You run and manage to get _The End_ in before Bendy can catch you.

He turns to look as the card is projected on his screens. He drops to his knees and screams.

If Bendy can understand you....

_I'm sorry, you say. The loop will restart, and I'll give you another chance. But you've got to live up to it._

When you're sent to Joey's, you're at your full height. You examine your hands, which are flesh and blood. Relief filling your chest, you open your mouth. "I'm human again, aren't I?"

You stride into the kitchen, where you know Joey is waiting for you.

"Henry? So soon? I wasn't expecting you for another hour yet. Now you're just trying to impress me. But I know, I know, you have questions. You always do."

You slam your hands on his counter before he can get another word out. "I don't care what questions you feel like answering. The only one that matters to me now is what's going on with Bendy?"

He flinches. "Bendy is... lashing out, I suppose. How am I supposed to know what goes on in a demon's head?"

Crossing your arms, you say, "From what I can tell, there's an external force acting on him, influencing his thoughts and actions. He himself is very confused. But I suppose I'll have to figure it out myself. You're not going to let any of us free any time soon, are you?"

Joey turns back to his sink. "Why don't you visit the workshop, old friend? There's something I need to show you."

You didn't think so. You glare at your old friend. "If you're not going to run the studio responsibly, then I will. It's mine now."

You walk to the beginning and slam the door behind you. "Alright, Bendy, I'm coming."

As quickly as you can, you raise the smaller ink machine and collect the relics. You go turn up the ink pressure, and the pipe breaks as always. In your hurry to turn the power on and see your creation, you slip in the fresh flood.

[You hit your head on the corner of a chair, and when you come to, all you know is that your name is Henry and you were invited here by an old friend.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40832183)


	290. Chapter 290

You find Sammy in the orchestra pit and wave to him.

"You! You lied to me! You're a false savior!" He rushes you with an ax, and you turn and run.

As you dart into the department entrance, you literally crash into yourself - your human flesh, which leans down and points to the department's break room. "Through the gate," your body hisses. "Don't open it. Just run. You need to see it."

Your body engages Sammy, and you run where it directed you. On the other side is a bathroom with a message on the wall: a golden illustration of the ink tunnel. Only the exit glows, and an arrow labels it: THE ONLY WAY OUT OF THE INK. Another arrow labels a point just before the exit: WHERE THEY FALL.

In the bathroom is also a mirror. You look and see yourself as a nearly on-model Bendy. You're just missing the bow tie, and there's a hint of red in your eyes whenever they're in the shadow.

You raise a brow as you look at your hands. There's a Searcher popping up behind you, and you try something out with it: you grab it, and you both end up in the inky tunnel. But you stay perfectly formed as Bendy, and you can see the young woman whose soul is in your hands. At the tunnel's end, you toss her into the light. You step forward yourself. Just before you reach the end....

Splat! You respawn at the nearest Bendy statue. From there, you...

[...rescue yourself from Sammy.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41106605)  
[...free everyone in the studio in the order you come across them.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41107850)  
[...free everyone in the studio, starting with those so far gone that they cause others to suffer.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41168729)


	291. Chapter 291

You fight your way through the Searchers and the Lost Ones as you make your way upstairs. The Butcher Gang is as hostile as ever too.

Meanwhile, you don't see Sammy or Tom and Alice.

You get to Level K before you find a familiar face - Sammy, but he rushes you with an ax, a legion of voices pouring from behind his mask.

"You lied to me! You said I'd be free!"

No sound comes out when you try to reply, so instead you flee through a wall and run into Boris.

Boris scoops you to his chest and nuzzles you. Grinning, you pat his head. You point behind you.

His ears perk and he bolts, you still in his arms. He takes you to his safe house.

Supposing you could use the chance to at least look at whatever's wrong with your speech, you go to his bathroom and find a small, perfectly on-model Bendy grinning back at you.

You blink. So does Bendy. You press your white-gloved hands to the mirror and stare at your new self.

There's got to be a way forward.

You...

[...take Boris with you to rescue everyone.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41381624)  
[...mime what happened to you to Boris.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41381966)  
[...take some time at the safe house to adjust to your new form.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41170733)


	292. Chapter 292

You slip over to the Music Department's exit, and there's no Ink Demon to bar your path this time.

When you open the door, crisp, cool, night air and the sound of chirping crickets flows inside the studio. Grinning, you take a deep breath and lift one foot up.

There's an invisible barrier where the door is, and you crash. When you look around, you see tiny pentagrams on either side of the door frame.

You turn to the ink pool behind you to gather ink to black them out, keeping in mind what Allison always says about touching the ink for too long.

You just hope that your task is brief enough that you'll be alright. You hold the ink in your hands for almost a minute as you scrub at the pentagrams.

  


##### Test your luck by rolling this die:

[Open me in a new tab!](https://www.random.org/dice/?num=1)

###### You rolled...

[...a 1 or 2.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41392874)  
[...a 3 or 4.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41402402)  
[...a 5 or 6.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41392682)


	293. Chapter 293

The Ink Demon is fast, but you're a lot faster than you were. You reach the throne room just in time and pop in The End as he's still transforming.

He screams and melts away.

You've never played the reel while he was still transforming before, and you end up with a different result: instead of the Ink Demon simply exploding in a shower of poof, he leaves behind a short black-and-white spirit.

You may well have been looking in the mirror again.

The spirit sniffs. "Creator?"

You step forward and reach for his shoulder. Your hand goes through.

"I know you had to kill me 'cause I was killing people. I want to thank you for stopping me. Your friend Joey had me under mind control." He wipes at his tears. "I know you care, and I care about you too."

The reel is still playing, and everything is growing brighter.

As everything fades, Bendy shouts, "I was never able to break free from Joey, but you've got a chance - don't let him see you and go get some priests!"

When the white disappears, you're surrounded by the bright colors of Joey's home. You remember what Bendy said and use your new size and agility to sneak out a window rather than heading to the door.

[You land on your hands and knees, but it’s less problem getting up as a Toon than it is as an old man.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41392682)


	294. Chapter 294

You find a Little Miracle Station and hide there until the Ink Demon is gone. From there, you make your way to the administrative lift.

You don't think Sammy would exactly be pleased to see you looking like this, and it's not as though you could tell him what happened. But you could...

[...go find someone else to help you.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41381624)  
[...try an exit.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41392316)


	295. Chapter 295

"This is my last audio message for Joey Drew Studios. Thirty years ago, I quit to spend more time with my family. But I loved animating. A part of me really missed this place. It was a... midlife crisis that brought me back. Reliving the glory days, you could say." You chuckle. "As if they were all that glorious."

You see something move in the shadows. It stops. Is that Bendy?

Your heart races, but if he's not attacking, you can finish what you came to do. "I see now that I shouldn't have. I need to let go of the past instead of relive it - live up to the chances I have in the present instead. I need to return to my family."

Bendy is shaking, and you get the feeling that you're pushing your luck with the demon. "Bendy. Boris. I don't know if you'll want to hear this, but you were just cartoon characters when I left. If you're alive now, it makes you my children too. I can't come back to you. But maybe, if you're willing to adapt to human society - no hiding, no haunting, no murders-"

Bendy growls.

"-you can come to me." You shove _The End _in the projector.__

____

Bendy lunges at you, but it's too late for him. The card shines on the screen. He cries out and fades away.

____

You find yourself at Joey's apartment once again, but you can hear your own static-covered voice in the background: "...no hiding, no haunting, no murders - you can come to me."

____

You walk into Joey's kitchen, scowling.

____

Joey's at the sink, and he sets a plate in the foam. He turns and ambles to the counter. "Hello, Henry. I heard what you said."

____

"How much?"

____

He winces at your tone. "Just what you recorded."

____

You cross your arms. "You need to stop living in the past too. Wanting to make up for abused chances is one thing. Trapping others in the past with you is something else. I need to go home."

____

"I couldn't keep you longer if I wanted to. You've broken my spell." Head hung, he waves toward the door. "Go. Rejoin your family."

____

You open the door and pause to glare at your old friend. Through the door really is the outside - sunshine, roses, and chirping birds. You step through and never look back again. Your relived days have come to

The End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	296. Chapter 296

You run your fingers lightly behind the cut-out's horn. "Sorry I didn't know you're alive." You chuckle. "Friendly. Playful. A little mischievous. I'd say you're more the real Bendy than the one at the top of this place."

You part ways with Sammy and ferry the cut-out across the ink. Rather than keep a lookout, it huddles against you.

Bending to meet its eyes, you ask, "Are you scared, buddy?"

It presses itself to your shoulder, so you look around for anything that might be spooking it. You see...

[...forming Lost Ones staring at you.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40840622)  
[...the chains that confined the Ink Demon.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40854494)  
[...a reel of "Tombstone Picnic" projecting the skeleton that once scared Bendy.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40854086)


	297. Chapter 297

You push the cut-out away. "You can come, but you can't do that, okay?"

You part ways with Sammy and wade through the moat.

The cut-out reaches the entrance ahead of you. It bounds ahead and comes back, barring your entrance. You...

[...turn back.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40855070)  
[...carry on.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40855589)  
[...hide in the moat.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40856285)


	298. Chapter 298

You can't just straight-out refuse the help in front of Sammy, so you think of a way to get rid of the cut-out. You fake a smile. "Hey, buddy. There's something I need in Joey's office. Will you check if the way is clear?"

The cut-out bounds off, and you part ways with Sammy.

As you're crossing the cold, inky moat, a hand grabs you from behind.

[You're pulled down into the ink, and this time, it seeps into your lungs, your muscles, and everywhere.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40898249)


	299. Chapter 299

"Fine," he says. "It's your funeral."

You wait quietly outside the nearest Little Miracle Station until he returns and hands you an ax. "Come find me if you're successful. I'll be in my old office."

You thank him and proceed to the ink machine.

As usual, the halls and the throne room are clear at first glance. You listen to Joey's message and Bendy shows up with the usual manner and timing.

You swing your ax just as he's reaching for you. It breaks.

He roars and picks you up. He reaches into your chest.

You are pulled out of your body. Not your organs - you. Bendy tosses your corpse aside, and he's the one to play "The End" this time.

[Everything goes white.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41106794)


	300. Chapter 300

You're beside the throne for once. You can see how he curls in on himself as he's about to transform, and for a second, you glimpse threads tied around his arms and feet like a marionette, or a Muppet.

PUP- Thread. Puppet! Bendy isn't acting of his own accord.

He roars, and his hand swats you through a wall.

You press yourself to the side as Bendy charges in his predictable pattern. Not an expected attack style for someone intelligent enough to hide The End or start to write that they're being controlled, is it? How did you never see it before.

Now, how to free Bendy? You try...

[...confronting Joey.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40871021)  
[...starting the next loop with acetone that you can use on the strings.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40871021)  
[...reading _The Illusion of Living_ for an answer.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40871837)


	301. Chapter 301

You can't fight him, so while he's still transforming, you pop in _The End_ and start it playing.

Bendy screams and melts away. In the Ink Demon's place is a short, black-and-white spirit - Bendy's. Perfectly on model. He's wiping tears away. "Creator?"

"I had to. You were killing people."

He sniffs and nods. "I know. I just wanted to thank you's all. Your friend Joey had me under mind control, so I was trapped as a living puppet. I'm free now."

"Joey did what?" You circle the throne until you can stand next to your deceased creation. Your heart clenches. "Bendy, if I knew, I might have found another way."

The reel is still playing, and everything is growing brighter.

Bendy's spirit points to you. "You're Bendy now. Don't let him control you too."

Everything fades into white, and when that disappears, you're surrounded by the bright colors of Joey's home. You remember what Bendy said and use your new size and agility to sneak out a window rather than heading to the door.

[You land on your hands and knees, but it’s less problem getting up as a Toon than it is as an old man.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41392682)


	302. Chapter 302

Just like Boris, he has to have a vulnerable moment, and this might be it. You spring into the air and kick him in the chest.

The moment your foot touches his ink, your new form fades away, and you - your spirit, that is - get sucked into the demon's body.

You look at your large, slotted hands. For a split-second, there are golden threads wrapped around your wrists, and they are pulled to grab the throne and climb over. You roar without meaning to.

A small spirit is standing in front of you. Black. White. Two horns, and two pie-cut eyes. Bendy. He's trembling, but he looks up and meets your eyes. "Creator, you freed me from being Joey's puppet. I swear I'll find a way to return the favor."

Your hand rises up. You try to pull it back, but it does no good. You swat Bendy's spirit through the wall, and he vanishes. Your body goes on a rampage, charging through the halls as though blindly trying to trample someone to death, but there's no one here. You have a feeling you'll be charging until you meet your

End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	303. Chapter 303

A cut-out springs out from nowhere and bars your path. Behind you, Bendy is still coming.

He scoops you up and holds you to his chest. _It's alright._

You stiffen. His voice was the one in the ink!

The demon rubs your horn. _I rule this place. I keep all my subjects in line. But you... you didn't know better, did you? Not like Sammy._

You try to shout, but all you can do is squirm until you can shake a fist at your creation.

 _You're my creator. If anyone should have a chance to be my right-hand man, it should be you._ Bendy's jaw twitches into a grin. _I'll even erase those painful mortal memories of yours and make you like me. Will you agree?_

You...

[...nod your head yes.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40898339)  
[...shake your head no.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40898249)


	304. Chapter 304

The lights snuff out and the pentagram glows a dark purple. Through the open portal steps the Devil himself, laughing.

_So Joey Drew never cared who else summoned his "gods."_

You back into Bendy's legs. He's too busy cowering before the devil in front of you to attack.

The Devil smacks Bendy into a wall. _And you. You're supposed to have been recruiting new souls for this hell, not simply torturing the ones here in hopes that it will appease me._

Things look bad, but you think you might stand a chance if you...

[...work with Bendy.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40899473)  
[...avoid attention.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40899725)  
[...make a deal with the Devil.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40900142)


	305. Chapter 305

You run back to the room you normally fall into and grab the ax. It's a short trip back to the inky hallway between there and the music department with your speedy new body.

If only it weren't so short - the ink comes up to your waist. You're almost better off swimming than wading through.

A Searcher forms directly in front of you, and you bring the ax down on it. Chop!

It scratches you.

Chop!

It severs your throat.

Chop!

You kill the Searcher, but you're already injured enough that you end up in the tunnel with it. It's that same young woman.

At least she's not there when you retry the crossing. You zip through the ink-splattered hallways and the stinking sewers. After a few minutes of searching, you find yourself fighting Sammy in his own sanctuary. You spring on Sammy from behind, but he whips his own ax around and smashes you into his desk.

You drop onto the pentagram.

Your body takes the ax from you and strikes at Sammy's head. Gasp! Thud!

Your vision is going black and you can see a distant light, but you can just make out Sammy lying beside you too.

Your body kneels next to you. It sticks your fingers in Sammy's ink and draws something on your chest.

Your vision sticks where it is - neither fully in this world nor the next.

"You'll be alright. I've picked up a little magic in my decades here."

You blink at yourself. Your fleshy hand dips itself in the ink and strokes your face, covering your eyes in the cold black liquid.

Twitching, you try to pull away, but you don't have the strength to move.

"I'm saving your life!" Your body pins your feet to the floor. "It will come at a cost, but I can guarantee that you'll even be able to get your humanity back eventually. By the time you do, you'll have learned enough to that you can free everyone at this studio when you get your body back. You _will_ free everyone at this studio when you get your body back. This life is a chance I swore I'd live up to."

It hurts, but you turn your head enough to give yourself a funny look.

Your body smiles. "This isn't making sense, is it?"

Was it supposed to?

"I'm you," your body says. "Not just your body - the spirit of your future self."

Your future self strokes your forehead. "Now try to rest up. I'm trying to ease the pain as you transition. I don't know how much you'll remember between now and when you wake up, but-"

[You don't remember anything further.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41106794)


	306. Chapter 306

You set about the task you've set yourself. You can run circles around the Searchers now. You make short work of the Butcher Gang.

Your body is nowhere to be found. At least not for a couple hours.

With your body's help, you even take down the stronger residents, like Sammy, Alice, and Boris. You enter the ink tunnel with each kill on purpose.

At last, it's just you and your body. You stare at it, trying to think how to get back, when suddenly it smiles at you.

"Hiya, Creator."

Your eyes widen.

Your creation scoops you up into your own arms. "You did it! I've been trying to free everyone for years, but I never figured out how to get them to pass that hole in the tunnel."

Pushing away from your - Bendy's - chest, you look up and meet his eyes. Is it just you, or are they duller than they should be?

He tightens his grip on you, grabs a chair, and pulls himself to his feet. As he walks to the orchestra pick, he says, "Just 'cause I don't know how to free anyone from this side doesn't mean I can't switch us back. And I can come back for one person. Just one."

He sets you down as he hacks at a wall that separates you from an elevator. As you ride, he keeps talking. "Don't worry about going to the police - I already did. But you're married, ain't you? You should go see your wife now that you have the chance."

The elevator chimes as it comes to a stop and the door opens. Bendy points down the hall. "Go wait with the reel. There's something I need to switch us back."

You do. In a few minutes, Bendy joins you with a copy of _The Illusion of Living_.

As he opens the book, you lean over. Bendy stops at a page with a pentagram on it. He takes a drop of your blood and a drop of his ink and drops it on a previous blackish-red spot.

You plunge into the tunnel and the hole lands you back into your body. You check yourself - five fingers per fleshy hand, no horns, no ink.

The demon grins up at you and you cross your arms. "If you were just trying to free the ink monsters, why did you keep killing me?"

Bendy's eyes widen. His smile flips upside down. He opens his mouth, but it's just painted ink. No sound comes out, but he looks at you with his brow line raised.

You take a breath. "I can't hear you."

Now Bendy's eyes are larger than his face. His mouth hangs open.

"It's alright," you say quickly. "Just nod or shake. Were you the Ink Demon that tried to kill me?"

Instead of responding, Bendy takes The End in his hands. He peeks up at you, offers a shaking smile, and pops it in. As it plays, he fades away. Everything goes white.

This time, you're not at Joey's. This time, you're at home with Linda.

  


A week later, you get a knock on your door. Two young policewomen pale when they see you. "Mrs. Stein ... and Mr. Stein ... we've got something at the station we need to show you."

[The two of you go with them, and when you get there, you see something bulky.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40833500)


	307. Chapter 307

You'd start with the Ink Demon, but he's nowhere to be found, so instead you start with Susie. You can kill her with just a touch. The same goes for the Searchers and the Butcher Gang that attack you along your path.

It gets a bit harder when it comes to Norman and Sammy, but between your ink and the blunt tools around the studio, you're able to pull them into the dark, whispering ink tunnel with you and toss them into the afterlife.

Little by little, the ink drips away from the studio. It loses its toonish aspect in favor of rotting wood, and you start to regain your memories.

Years ago, there was a car accident. You and Linda were in it.

Linda was declared dead on site.

You wipe your tears as you return the last of the Searchers. The only two beings left in the studio are you and Boris. Maybe three if another soul is possessing your body.

You find them outside the music department, where Boris is on his hands and knees, scrubbing the largest pentagram away. As you walk toward them, Boris' ink drips away, leaving Joey and his chair in his place.

Years ago, there was a car accident. You and Linda were in it.

Linda was declared dead on site. You made it to the hospital, where you died in surgery. You and Linda were having a good afterlife together, but one day Joey sent you a letter via seance.

Your "body" smiles at you and the illusion breaks - it's a spirit - a small, black-and-white spirit with horns and pie-cut eyes. Bendy waves to you and hops off into the light.

"See you there, kiddo!" you call after him, and then you are alone with Joey.

Joey pulls himself back into his chair. "Is it done?"

You nod. "Everyone's free."

"Old friend, if there's anything I can do for you-"

You hold up a hand and cut it off. "I'm dead. The only way you even could do anything for me is if you reach heaven."

He presses his wrinkled hands on the edge of his chair. "Did I live up to the chance you gave me?"

"Given the circumstances...." You shrug. "We've set things here as right as they can be. When it's your time, I'll be there to put in a good word for you, but until then, please keep trying."

You say goodbye to your living friend and turn toward the light, your adventures in the mortal world having reached

The End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	308. Chapter 308

Your mime session looks a lot like interpretive dance, and it just leaves Boris scratching his head and blinking.

Instead you...

[...take Boris to rescue everyone.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41381624)  
[...take the time to get used to your new form.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41170733)


	309. Chapter 309

You'd estimate it takes about a month before you're comfortable with your new self to venture out. You can see all your secret messages now, and you can walk through the occasional wall.

[But still, the only way you can go once you leave the safe house is the lift that Susie controls.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41170784)


	310. Chapter 310

You fall into the dark tunnels. It feels like you're walking out of them forever before you finally plop into one of the molding stations within the ink machine.

Everything still looks large. When you examine your hands, they're still four-fingered and gloved.

Attempting to speak reveals that you're still mute.

You've got to keep moving.

When you open the glass and hop out this time, you decide to...

[...sneak into the throne room.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40861832)  
[...get some help.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40930433)  
[...go look in a mirror.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41393642)


	311. Chapter 311

You run through the wild, over-grown, under-watered lawn. From there, you head to the nearest church and get the help you need to bring Joey's curse to

The End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	312. Chapter 312

Clearly, it's warning you that the Ink Demon's in there. You head back across the moat and think of a new plan. If you can't get to the reel or the machine right now, you'll...

[...get Sammy to help you gather people to an exit instead.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40832849)  
[...try again later.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/44151820)


	313. Chapter 313

At least you know it's on your side. You pat it between the horns and slip around, moving as quietly as you can and keeping to the walls.

The Ink Demon finds you anyway.

At least you manage to wrestle the seeing tool away from him before you get sent to Joey's and the start of the loop. Still, it will be a very long time before your torture comes to its

End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	314. Chapter 314

You smile. Heh. This thing is on your side after all. "Thanks, bud. Do you think you can tell me when he leaves? I'll wait here."

The cut-out is as silent as ever, but when you turn to go hide, immediately you wish you'd just gone in: the Ink Demon is behind you, using the moat to make himself larger than you've ever seen him. He grabs you in one giant fist.

You squirm, but it makes no difference. "You set me up!"

Bendy moves a finger over your lips and peers into the cut-out's eyes. After a moment, he turns and grins at you. He shrinks into his eight-foot form and cradles you like an overgrown infant. That doesn't make his grip any easier to escape.

"What do you want with me?"

For the first time, Bendy speaks to you. _Creator, you died a long time ago. I've been trying to release you and the others, but now I think I can bring you back without causing a disaster. You've got such a pure desire to help everyone._

The words make you stop struggling. "What do you mean?"

 _I'm not sure how it happened, but did it never surprise you that none of those falls kill you?_ Bendy sets you in one of the machine's alcoves. He closes the glass and the ink starts pouring. He places his hands to the glass and leans in. _I'll take good care of you. I promise._

[You pass out.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40898339)


	315. Chapter 315

You enter the tunnel.

When you emerge this time, you can only get to half-height. You look behind you, your jaw hanging open. Your legs are still melted inside the puddle from which you sprang. If you're a Searcher now, your human life has come to

The End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	316. Chapter 316

You follow the arrows to easily progress through the usual routine.

[When you get back to the throne room, you pop in the last reel and go to Joey's.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40900070)


	317. Chapter 317

You take the steps to open the throne room door, but you zip through and dive into the moat instead. You roll onto your back and play dead, peeking at Bendy through an eye.

The demon stares at the moat, as though unsure what to do. After a moment, he turns and arm-walks back into the machine.

You swim ashore. You remember Joey's office having a copy of his book, but first you need a way to open the door.

Or do you?

You take advantage of your small size to sneak past Bendy, who is staring at some old clips of "Nightmare Fair." You look around until you find the one-way-windowed hall that Bendy always walks through, figuring that there's got to be a way to administration through there.

A horned head is just visible on the reflective surface, and you turn to look. Standing on tip-toe allows you to see a floating head, nearly on-model for Bendy. All you're missing is the bow tie.

Your fists clench as you continue down the hall. Thanks, Joey. You never wanted to be made into your creation.

You look that up too as you search for a solution for Bendy's problem. You do find the way to free Bendy, but it looks like you'll be stuck as his twin. You drum your fingers against Joey's old desk. Destroy _The End_. Simple enough.

Bendy is still watching his episode when you sneak back in. You crawl around behind his chair and take the reel you need from beside his leg.

You hear him growl, but you smash the film before he can do anything. You flinch as his ink drops on you.

When you check on him, you find that he's your height now - perfectly on-model, bow tie and all. He's got his largest grin on his face, and he bounces forward to wrap his arms around you.

He pulls back in only a second, winks at you, and taps your forehead with a finger. A moment later, you're coughing, and your ink is pooling under your knees - your fleshy, human knees.

"I'm me again?"

Bendy nods.

You grin. "Well, I think it's about time everyone's themselves again. Don't you?"

The two of you go around the studio, freeing all Joey's victims and sending them home at last. When the studio is empty of everything but wood and machinery, you take Bendy home with you, where you will care for him until you meet your

End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	318. Chapter 318

When you wake up, you feel amazing. The world is full of sound and you're surrounded by ink that bends to your will. Your dad is holding you to his chest and stroking your horns.

 _Henry,_ he calls you. _Do you know who you are?_

Of course you do. You're a young ink demon who is going to help his father deal with the dead. You, he, and your cardboard helper, together your lives and happiness will have no

End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820)


	319. Chapter 319

You throw Joey's recording at the Devil's face and offer Bendy a hand up. He takes it, grabs you, and runs. He dives in the ink moat, and you both remain submerged.

Your pounding heart and racing blood make it hard to keep track of how long you're under there, but when you emerge, you're back at your normal height - and you're your human self again too! - while Bendy is a lot smaller, on-model even.

He drops to his knees and writes on the ground:

I'M SORRY. I WAS A NORMAL TOON. HE WAS THE DEVIL. I DIDN'T STAND A CHANCE. I COULDN'T SAY NO.

"We'll have to face him if we stick around here, won't we?" you ask.

[Bendy nods.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/43455767)


	320. Chapter 320

The Devil points at you. _Let's make a bet, shall we? You and him will have to fight. If you win, I'll let you go. If not, I'll eat you._

Bendy is trembling. You glance at him and glare at the Devil. "What are you go to do to him if he loses?"

_Never you mind._

Bendy whines and hides behind you. You reach back and touch his hand. "Would you eat him too?"

The Devil drags you away from your creation. _Clearly, I'll have to wipe your memory of that last part to make this interesting._

"What?"

Old Scratch smirks. _Don't worry, I'll reward you just for taking on this useless demon here._

[He snaps his fingers and disappears.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40898795)


	321. Chapter 321

The Devil reaches toward Bendy, but you step between the two and hold out your hand to the Devil.

He laughs. _What's this? You're sticking up for him after everything he's done?_

You thrust your hand closer toward him.

His amusement booms off the metal walls. _Very well. I'll make you a deal: you convince Joey Drew to come to me and I'll release both you and your creation, or I'll ensure your cage gets tighter._

You shake on it.

[The studio fades, and you land in Joey's living room.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40900070)


	322. Chapter 322

Taking a quick look around, you find nothing you could use in what you're about to attempt. Might as well get this over with.

The moment you step foot in Joey's kitchen, he turns. "Bendy? What are you doing here?"

You try to open your mouth to snap at Joey, but you can't. You forgot that you're mute now. Since speaking isn't an option, you cross your arms and glare at Joey instead.

Joey squints at you. He leans on the counter. "Since you're here, I've got something to tell you."

He beckons you closer, and you go without thinking.

Joey grabs you, climbs in his wheelchair, and takes you to his closet. He reaches behind his dusty old ink machine for a small bottle and a brush, which he uses to draw threads around your wrists and ankles. "Now get back to the studio and wait down in your lair for Henry to turn on the ink machine!"

Your feet carry you to the door, even with your trying to fight them. Your hand grasps the handle. You jerk away, but your arm pulls the door open.

Bendy's lair is on the other side, the demon himself sitting on his throne. You join him in there. The door shuts behind you and disappears.

Your creation gets to his feet and limps over to you. He bends, reaching a hand toward your face.

You let him touch you. You pat his back in return, as the apology you cannot speak. After all, the two of you will be here together, waiting. Waiting for a man who will never power the ink machine. Waiting until your lives

End

[Ready for another adventure?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/40831820%22)


	323. Chapter 323

You decide to wait it out. As you head upstairs to look for Sammy, you run into Boris instead.

[You rest up at his place, but in the morning, the only direction you can go is toward the lift that Susie controls.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17353826/chapters/41170784)


End file.
